Logo of the International Organization for Migration (Al Jazeera)

A pioneering organization in the field of migration, it has worked since its founding in 1951 to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees and displaced persons, in addition to managing and strengthening international cooperation regarding them by providing the necessary advice to governments. In 2016, it became a United Nations agency, with its headquarters in the Swiss capital, Geneva, working in parallel. With the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Origin and establishment

The International Organization for Migration was established in 1951, coinciding with the formation of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, for the purpose of resettling those displaced from Europe after World War II, and helping the displaced start a new life in the United States, Canada, Australia, and other regions. It began its work as a temporary intergovernmental committee. From Europe, its name was changed several times, before settling on the current name.

The number of members of the organization is 175 countries, in addition to 8 other countries that have observer status. The organization also has offices in more than 100 countries around the world, and works with a wide range of partners, governmental and non-governmental organizations.

IOM Director-General Amy Pope during a press conference at the United Nations office in Geneva in 2023 (French)

Tasks and mission

The International Organization for Migration devotes its efforts - according to its official website - to promoting humanitarian and regular migration for all by providing services and advice to governments and migrants alike, and since its founding, it has called for “humanitarian migration that takes into account the interests of all parties.”

Its Charter also recognizes the link between migration and economic, social and cultural development, as well as the right to freedom of movement.

It works within the framework of 4 areas related to migration management, which are:

  • Migration and development.

  • Facilitating immigration.

  • Immigration regulation.

  • Forced migration.

    • Its activities include promoting international migration law, discussing policies and directives, and protecting the rights of migrants in the above areas, in addition to working within the framework of health and gender aspects in the field of migration.

    Migrant workers from Africa during the evacuation operation organized by the International Organization for Migration at the port of Benghazi in 2011 (Reuters)

    Most prominent stations

    Immediately after its founding during the 1950s, the International Organization for Migration helped organize the migration of about one million people displaced by World War II. Then its name was changed in 1952 to the “Intergovernmental Commission for European Migration (ICEM),” and in 1980 it changed again to become the “Intergovernmental Commission for Migration.” (ICM)", and in 1989 it settled on the name "International Organization for Migration (IOM)".

    It helped organize asylum and migration movements after natural disasters and numerous conflicts, such as the Hungarian revolution against the Soviet Union in 1956, then the latter’s invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, and the Chilean coup in 1973. It also contributed to providing aid to Vietnamese boat migrants in 1975 after the end of the Vietnam War.

    With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1990 and the beginning of the era of globalization, its global character was established, and the number of its member states increased from less than 70 to 172. Its budget, the number of employees, and its workplaces also increased exponentially.

    After the Gulf War in 1991, it established an office in the Egyptian capital, which later turned into a regional office in the Middle East, covering its activities in most countries of the region. It also provided assistance to survivors of the Asian tsunami and the Pakistan earthquake in 2004 and 2005.

    Nearly 65 years after its founding - specifically on September 19, 2016 - its Director-General and the Secretary-General of the United Nations signed an agreement stipulating that the International Organization for Migration would join the United Nations as a competent organization.

    It has also become a full member of the coordination mechanisms of the United Nations system at the global, regional and local levels, including the Chief Executives Board for Coordination, the Supreme Program Committee, the Supreme Management Committee, the United Nations Development Group and its country programmes, transforming it from a relatively small agency into a major agency. An annual operating budget estimated at approximately $3 billion and more than 19,500 employees working in 171 countries around the world.

    It has also become the reference point for most global discussions on the social, economic and political impacts of migration in the current century, and the number of its member states has now reached 175.

    Source: websites