The director general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which supports migrants and displaced persons, visited Japan and commented on the Israeli military's readiness to proceed with ground operations in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, where many residents have evacuated. "This is a completely intolerable situation," he said, expressing strong concern.
Amy Pope, Executive Director of the United Nations' International Organization for Migration (IOM), which supports immigrants and displaced persons forced from their homes due to wars and disasters, visited Japan and gave an interview to NHK on the 27th.
Secretary-General Pope first talked about the situation in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, saying, ``The situation is critical, with an unprecedented scale of migration occurring in an extremely small area.It is difficult to deliver humanitarian aid, and the need for assistance is increasing on an astronomical scale.'' "I'm doing it," he said.
Furthermore, regarding the Israeli military's intention to proceed with ground operations in southern Rafah, where many people have evacuated, ``With so many people concentrated in one place and safe places extremely limited, "They are forcing people to move elsewhere. It's a completely intolerable situation for people," he said, expressing strong concern.
On the other hand, he stated that ``more than 300 million people are exposed to extreme climate change,'' and revealed that more people are being forced to migrate due to climate change than are displaced by conflict.
Regarding the growing debate to strengthen border controls, especially in Europe and the United States, he said, ``People are migrating because the situation in their country of origin has become unbearable, and this is not a problem that can be solved by border measures alone.'' He emphasized the importance of addressing issues faced by countries of origin.
It also pointed out that 30 countries, including Japan, are experiencing labor shortages, adding, ``We need sustained efforts to ensure that people facing climate change and conflict can move safely and connect with job opportunities.'' "This is the key to economic development," he said, calling on the importance of accepting immigrants in an appropriate manner for both sides.