View source for International Organization for Migration

{{Short description|Intergovernmental organization}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox organization
| image = 
| formation = {{start date and age|1951|12|06|df=y}}
| logo = International Organization for Migration logo.svg
| type = UN Related Organization
| headquarters = [[Geneva]], [[Switzerland]]
| leader_title = Director General
| leader_name = Amy E. Pope
| budget = [[United States dollar|US$]]2.5 billion (2021)
| name = International Organization for Migration
| size = 250px
| membership = 175 member states and 8 observer states
| membership_year = 2024<ref>{{cite web |title=Member States |url=https://www.iom.int/member-states |website=International Organization for Migration |access-date=6 August 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
| languages = [[English language|English]], [[French language|French]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]]
| staff = 17,761
| staff_year = 2021
| website = {{URL|https://www.iom.int}}
}}The '''International Organization for Migration''' ('''IOM''') is a [[United Nations related organization]] working in the field of migration. The organization implements operational assistance programmes for [[Human migration|migrants]], including [[internally displaced person]]s, [[refugee]]s, and [[migrant worker]]s.

The International Organization for Migration is a UN agency based in [[Geneva]]. Its director general is Amy E. Pope.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amy Pope |url=https://www.iom.int/biography-iom-director-general |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=International Organization for Migration |language=en}}</ref>

==History==

=== Historical context and predecessor organizations (1951 to 1989) ===
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) was founded in 1951 in response to the large number of internally displaced persons and war refugees in Europe after the [[World War II|Second World War]]. The IOM was initially a logistics agency that organized the transport of nearly one million migrants in the 1950s and has undergone several name changes since its inception. The transition from the Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe (PICMME) in 1951 to the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) in 1952, to the Intergovernmental Committee for Migration (ICM) in 1980, and finally to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 1989 reflects the evolution of the IOM's mandate over its existence, becoming the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration.<ref name=":2">{{cite journal|author=Megan Bradley|date=2017|title=The International Organization for Migration (IOM): Gaining Power in the Forced Migration Regime|journal=Refuge: Canada's Journal on Refugees|volume=33|page=97|doi=10.25071/1920-7336.40452|doi-access=free|number=1}}</ref>

=== Integration into the United Nations and the present (1990 to date) ===
In 1992, it was granted observer status at the United Nations General Assembly (GA resolution A/RES/47/4).<ref name=":2" /> In September 2016, the United Nations (UN) Member States, through the General Assembly, unanimously adopted a resolution approving the agreement to transform IOM into an affiliated organization of the UN. This agreement has strengthened the relationship between IOM and the UN and improved its ability to fulfill its respective mandates in the interests of migrants and Member States.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Bradley |first=Megan |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315744896/international-organization-migration-megan-bradley |title=The International Organization for Migration: Challenges, Commitments, Complexities |date=2020-02-07 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-315-74489-6 |location=London |doi=10.4324/9781315744896|s2cid=203200189 }}</ref>

The IOM supported the creation of the [[Global Compact for Migration]], the first-ever intergovernmental agreement on international migration which was adopted in [[Marrakech]], Morocco, in December 2018.<ref>{{cite web |date=9 April 2018 |title=GCM Development Process |url=https://www.iom.int/gcm-development-process |access-date=13 May 2019 |website=www.iom.int |publisher=International Organization for Migration}}</ref> To support the implementation, follow-up and review of the Global Compact on Migration, the UN secretary-general [[António Guterres]] established the UN Network on Migration in 2019. IOM coordinates the United Nations Network on Migration which includes [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|UNHCR]], [[World Food Programme|WFP]] and [[United Nations Development Programme|UNDP]], among others.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amy Pope Makes History as First Woman Director General of IOM |url=https://www.iom.int/news/amy-pope-makes-history-first-woman-director-general-iom |access-date=2 October 2023 |website=iom.int}}</ref> While the IOM's history tracks the man-made and natural disasters of the past half century, including [[Kosovo War|Kosovo]] and [[East Timor#Independence|Timor]] 1999, and the [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami|Asian tsunami]], the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], the [[2005 Kashmir earthquake|Pakistan earthquake]] of 2004/2005, the [[2010 Haiti earthquake]], and the [[European migrant crisis]]—its credo that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society has steadily gained more international acceptance.<ref name=":4" />

== Structure ==

=== Organization ===
[[File:International Organization for Migration @ Le Grand-Saconnex (50636903118).jpg|thumb|International Organization for Migration headquarters in Geneva]]
The organization is headquartered in Geneva, with liaison offices in [[New York City]] and [[Addis Ababa]]. The Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC) is based in [[Berlin]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=IOM Organizational Structure |url=https://www.iom.int/iom-organizational-structure |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=International Organization for Migration |language=en}}</ref> In 2020, the organization reported that it had over 15,311 employees, with 168 nationalities represented.<ref name=":5" /> The highest decision-making body of the IOM is the council, in which all member states are represented. It has rules of procedure and meets at regular intervals to adopt the annual budget and determine the organization's programmatic objectives. The official languages are [[English language|English]], [[French language|French]] and [[Spanish language|Spanish]]. According to its own figures, the organization's budget in 2020 was around two billion US dollars. This is made up of voluntary contributions from the member states and donations.<ref name=":5" />

=== Director General ===
The Director General of the organization is elected by the delegates of the IOM member states for a five-year term. The following table lists the previous directors of the IOM and its predecessor organization, the ICEM.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Directors General and Deputy Directors General |url=https://www.iom.int/directors-general-and-deputy-directors-general |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=International Organization for Migration |language=en}}</ref> The current Director General is Amy Pope from the [[United States|United States of America]], with [[Ugochi Daniels]] from [[Nigeria]] serving as Deputy Directors General.<ref name=":6" />

== Mandate ==
The organization's global mandate includes assistance to migrants, including migrant workers, refugees and internally displaced persons. This broad mandate of the organization has earned it praise for flexibility in crisis situations,<ref name=":4" /> but also criticism for legal accountability in protection issues.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bast |first=Jürgen |year=2019 |title=Der Global Compact for Migration und das internationale Migrationsregime |journal=Zeitschrift für Ausländerrecht und Ausländerpolitik |issue=3 |pages=96–99}}</ref> Due to complementary mandates, IOM often cooperates with the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|UNHCR]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Moretti |first=Sebastien |year=2021 |title=Between refugee protection and migration management: the quest for coordination between UNHCR and IOM in the Asia-Pacific region. |journal=Third World Quarterly |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=34–51|doi=10.1080/01436597.2020.1780910 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

For example IOM coordinates work in response to the situation in Venezuela through the [[Office of International Organization for Migration Director General's Special Envoy for the Regional Response to the Venezuela Situation]] working with [[UNHCR]] and 17 countries in South and Central America and the Caribbean.

According to the [[United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)]], IOM is one of the central actors in humanitarian aid within the UN system, especially in the context of displacement.<ref>{{Cite web |title=OCHA - United Nations |url=https://asiadisasterguide.unocha.org/III-humanitarian-actors.html |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=asiadisasterguide.unocha.org |date=2 July 2018 |language=en}}</ref> IOM's main aid measures include shelter, protection, the provision of basic medical and sanitary care, life safety, coordination, telecommunications and logistics. On the instructions of the [[Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator|UN Emergency Relief Coordinator]], IOM, together with UNHCR, is primarily responsible for camp coordination and management in humanitarian emergencies.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is the Cluster Approach? {{!}} HumanitarianResponse |url=https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/en/coordination/clusters/what-cluster-approach |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=www.humanitarianresponse.info}}</ref> The organization is also active in stabilization, peacebuilding and development<ref>{{Cite web |title=IOM and UNDP team up to tackle migration and development issues facing West and Central Africa |url=https://www.undp.org/africa/press-releases/iom-and-undp-team-tackle-migration-and-development-issues-facing-west-and-central-africa |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=UNDP |language=en}}</ref> in the context of migration.<gallery>
File:US Navy 100224-N-6278K-173 International Organization for Migration volunteers pass out shelter packages for earthquake survivors, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.jpg|Internally displaced people receive humanitarian aid after an earthquake in [[Port-au-Prince]], [[Haiti]].
File:Deputy Secretary Blinken is Given a Tour of the IOM Facility in Obock, Djibouti (24643556610).jpg|US Secretary of State Blinken during an IOM mission in [[Obock|Obock, Djibouti.]]
File:US Navy (USN) SENIOR CHIEF Aviation Structural Mechanic (AMCS) Ray Adams (right), Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 11 (HC-11), and an International Organization for Migration (IOM - DPLA - d38d4735323c66802aec26019bb993d5.jpeg|Evacuation after a tsunami in Banda Aceh, [[Sumatra]], [[Indonesia]].
File:Turning palm trees felled by Typhoon Haiyan into timber for reconstruction (13957580749).jpg|Trees uprooted by [[Typhoon Haiyan]] are used for reconstruction aid in the [[Philippines]].
File:Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan by Planet Labs.jpg|In Zaatari, [[Jordan]], IOM supports the medical care and education of refugees.
</gallery>

==Member states==
[[File:IOM members and observers.svg|thumb|350px|Member states of the IOM:<br />{{Farbindex|346733|member}}<br />{{Farbindex|49C946|observer}}<br />{{Farbindex|cccccc|non-members}}|alt=|center]]
As of 2023, the International Organization for Migration has 175 member states and 8 observer states.<ref name="Member States">{{Cite web|title=Members and Observers|url=https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/about-iom/members_observers_en.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/about-iom/members_observers_en.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live|access-date=3 January 2019|publisher=International Organization for Migration}}</ref> 

{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*{{flag|Afghanistan|2013}}
*{{flag|Albania}}
*{{flag|Algeria}}
*{{flag|Angola}}
*{{flag|Antigua and Barbuda}}
*{{flag|Argentina}}
*{{flag|Armenia}}
*{{flag|Australia}}
*{{flag|Austria}}
*{{flag|Azerbaijan}}
*{{flag|Bahamas}}
*{{flag|Bangladesh}}
*{{flag|Barbados}}
*{{flag|Belarus}}
*{{flag|Belgium}}
*{{flag|Belize}}
*{{flag|Benin}}
*{{flag|Bolivia}}
*{{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}}
*{{flag|Botswana}}
*{{flag|Brazil}}
*{{flag|Bulgaria}}
*{{flag|Burkina Faso}}
*{{flag|Burundi}}
*{{flag|Cabo Verde}}
*{{flag|Cambodia}}
*{{flag|Cameroon}}
*{{flag|Canada}}
*{{flag|Central African Republic}}
*{{flag|Chad}}
*{{flag|Chile}}
*{{flag|China}}
*{{flag|Colombia}}
*{{flag|Comoros}}
*{{flag|Congo}}
*{{flag|Cook Islands}}
*{{flag|Costa Rica}}
*{{flag|Côte d'Ivoire}}
*{{flag|Croatia}}
*{{flag|Cuba}}
*{{flag|Cyprus}}
*{{flag|Czech Republic}}
*{{flag|Democratic Republic of the Congo}}
*{{flag|Denmark}}
*{{flag|Djibouti}}
*{{flag|Dominica}}
*{{flag|Dominican Republic}}
*{{flag|Ecuador}}
*{{flag|Egypt}}
*{{flag|El Salvador}}
*{{flag|Eritrea}}
*{{flag|Estonia}}
*{{flag|Eswatini}}
*{{flag|Ethiopia}}
*{{flag|Fiji}}
*{{flag|Finland}}
*{{flag|France}}
*{{flag|Gabon}}
*{{flag|Gambia}}
*{{flag|Georgia}}
*{{flag|Germany}}
*{{flag|Ghana}}
*{{flag|Greece}}
*{{flag|Grenada}}
*{{flag|Guatemala}}
*{{flag|Guinea}}
*{{flag|Guinea-Bissau}}
*{{flag|Guyana}}
*{{flag|Haiti}}
*{{flag|Holy See}}
*{{flag|Honduras}}
*{{flag|Hungary}}
*{{flag|Iceland}}
*{{flag|India}}
*{{flag|Iran}}
*{{flag|Ireland}}
*{{flag|Israel}}
*{{flag|Italy}}
*{{flag|Jamaica}}
*{{flag|Japan}}
*{{flag|Jordan}}
*{{flag|Kazakhstan}}
*{{flag|Kenya}}
*{{flag|Kiribati}}
*{{flag|Kyrgyzstan}}
*{{flag|Lao People's Democratic Republic}}
*{{flag|Latvia}}
*{{flag|Lesotho}}
*{{flag|Liberia}}
*{{flag|Libya}}
*{{flag|Lithuania}}
*{{flag|Luxembourg}}
*{{flag|Madagascar}}
*{{flag|Malawi}}
*{{flag|Maldives}}
*{{flag|Mali}}
*{{flag|Malta}}
*{{flag|Marshall Islands}}
*{{flag|Mauritania}}
*{{flag|Mauritius}}
*{{flag|Mexico}}
*{{flag|Micronesia}}
*{{flag|Mongolia}}
*{{flag|Montenegro}}
*{{flag|Morocco}}
*{{flag|Mozambique}}
*{{flag|Myanmar}}
*{{flag|Namibia}}
*{{flag|Nauru}}
*{{flag|Nepal}}
*{{flag|Netherlands}}
*{{flag|New Zealand}}
*{{flag|Nicaragua}}
*{{flag|Niger}}
*{{flag|Nigeria}}
*{{flag|North Macedonia}}
*{{flag|Norway}}
*{{flag|Pakistan}}
*{{flag|Palau}}
*{{flag|Panama}}
*{{flag|Papua New Guinea}}
*{{flag|Paraguay}}
*{{flag|Peru}}
*{{flag|Philippines}}
*{{flag|Poland}}
*{{flag|Portugal}}
*{{flag|Republic of Korea}}
*{{flag|Republic of Moldova}}
*{{flag|Romania}}
*{{flag|Russian Federation}}
*{{flag|Rwanda}}
*{{flag|Saint Kitts and Nevis}}
*{{flag|Saint Lucia}}
*{{flag|Saint Vincent and the Grenadines}}
*{{flag|Samoa}}
*{{flag|São Tomé and Príncipe}}
*{{flag|Senegal}}
*{{flag|Serbia}}
*{{flag|Seychelles}}
*{{flag|Sierra Leone}}
*{{flag|Slovakia}}
*{{flag|Slovenia}}
*{{flag|Solomon Islands}}
*{{flag|Somalia}}
*{{flag|South Africa}}
*{{flag|South Sudan}}
*{{flag|Spain}}
*{{flag|Sri Lanka}}
*{{flag|Sudan}}
*{{flag|Suriname}}
*{{flag|Sweden}}
*{{flag|Switzerland}}
*{{flag|Tajikistan}}
*{{flag|Thailand}}
*{{flag|Timor-Leste}}
*{{flag|Togo}}
*{{flag|Tonga}}
*{{flag|Trinidad and Tobago}}
*{{flag|Tunisia}}
*{{flag|Turkey}}
*{{flag|Turkmenistan}}
*{{flag|Tuvalu}}
*{{flag|Uganda}}
*{{flag|Ukraine}}
*{{flag|United Kingdom}}
*{{flag|United Republic of Tanzania}}
*{{flag|United States}}
*{{flag|Uruguay}}
*{{flag|Uzbekistan}}
*{{flag|Vanuatu}}
*{{flag|Venezuela}}
*{{flag|Viet Nam}}
*{{flag|Yemen}}
*{{flag|Zambia}}
*{{flag|Zimbabwe}}
{{div col end}}

'''Observer States''':
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*{{flag|Bahrain}}
*{{flag|Bhutan}}
*{{flag|Indonesia}}
*{{flag|Kuwait}}
*{{flag|Malaysia}}
*{{flag|Qatar}}
*{{flag|San Marino}}
*{{flag|Saudi Arabia}}
{{div col end}}

'''Non-Member States''':

{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
*{{flag|Brunei}}
*{{flag|Equatorial Guinea}}
*{{flag|Hong Kong}}
*{{flag|Iraq}}
*{{flag|Lebanon}}
*{{flag|Macau}}
*{{flag|North Korea}}
*{{flag|Oman}}
*{{flag|Singapore}}
*{{flag|Syria}}
*{{flag|Taiwan}}
*{{flag|United Arab Emirates}}
{{div col end}}

== Criticism ==

=== 2003 Amnesty and Human Rights Watch ===
In 2003, both [[Amnesty International]] and [[Human Rights Watch]] were critical of the IOM's role in the Australian government's "[[Pacific Solution]]" of transferring asylum seekers to offshore detention centres.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Human Rights Protection in the Field: Current Concerns (Submitted by Human Rights Watch, IOM Governing Council Meeting, 86th Session, November 18–21, 2003, Geneva) |url=https://www.hrw.org/legacy/backgrounder/migrants/iom-submission-1103.htm |access-date=25 October 2019 |website=www.hrw.org}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=20 November 2003 |title=Amnesty International statement to the 86th Session of the Council of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/ior30/011/2003/en/ |access-date=7 January 2022 |website=Amnesty International |language=en}}</ref> Human Rights Watch criticized the IOM for operating [[Manus Regional Processing Centre]] and the processing centre on [[Nauru]] despite not having a refugee protection mandate.<ref name=":0" /> Human Rights Watch criticized the IOM for being part of "arbitrary detention" and for denying asylum seekers access to legal advice.<ref name=":0" /> Human Rights Watch urged the IOM to cease operation the process centres, which it stated were "detention centres" and to hand management of the centres to the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]].<ref name=":0" />

Amnesty International expressed concern that the IOM undertook actions on behalf of governments that negatively impacted the human rights of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants.<ref name=":1" /> Amnesty International cited an example of fourteen Kurds in Indonesia who were expelled from Australian waters by Australian authorities and relocated to Indonesia.<ref name=":1" /> Amnesty International requested an assurance that the IOM will abide by the principle of [[non-refoulement]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Amnesty International |date=20 November 2003 |title=Statement to the 86th Session of the Council of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) |url=https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/108000/ior300112003en.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/108000/ior300112003en.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref>

=== 2022 Refugee Council of Australia ===
{{Main|Refugees in Indonesia}}

In 2022, the role that the IOM played in housing refugees in Indonesia was described by the [[Refugee Council of Australia]] as presenting a "humanitarian veneer while carrying out rights-violating activities on behalf of Western nations” by researchers Asher Hirsch and Cameron Doig in ''[[The Globe and Mail]]''.<ref name=":02">{{Cite news |last=Griffiths |first=James |date=19 January 2022 |title=Trapped in Indonesia, Rohingya struggle to get by as laws block their path to asylum elsewhere |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-trapped-in-indonesia-rohingya-struggle-to-get-by-as-laws-block-their/ |access-date=19 January 2022}}</ref>

The community housing that the IOM operated, using Australian government funding, was described by the Refugee Council of Australia "inhumane conditions, solitary confinement, lack of basic essentials and medical care, physical and sexual abuse, and severe overcrowding".<ref name=":02" /> Rohingya John Joniad described the housing as an "open prison".<ref name=":02" />

=== Uyghur refugees ===
In 2024, the IOM was criticized for being unable or willing to intervene in refugee cases involving [[Uyghurs]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mahtani |first=Shibani |date=December 12, 2024 |title=A Uyghur man escaped China's Xinjiang. Cambodia deported him back. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2024/china-uyghur-muslim-genocide-cambodia-deportation/ |url-access=registration |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241214105648/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2024/china-uyghur-muslim-genocide-cambodia-deportation/ |archive-date=December 14, 2024 |access-date=December 15, 2024 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Non-refoulement]]
* [[Global Compact for Migration]]
* [[Mo Farah|Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah]], a [[Somalis in the United Kingdom|British-Somali]] long-distance runner and multiple [[List of multiple Olympic gold medalists|Olympic gold medalist]], IOM Goodwill Ambassador
* [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees]] (UNHCR)

== Bibliography ==

* Andrijasevic, Rutvica; Walters, William (2010): The International Organization for Migration and the international government of borders. In Environment and Planning D: Society and Space 28 (6), pp.&nbsp;977–999.
* Georgi, Fabian; Schatral, Susanne (2017): Towards a Critical Theory of Migration Control. The Case of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). In Martin Geiger, Antoine Pécoud (Eds.): International organisations and the politics of migration: Routledge, pp.&nbsp;193–221.
* Koch, Anne (2014): The Politics and Discourse of Migrant Return: The Role of UNHCR and IOM in the Governance of Return. In Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 40 (6), pp.&nbsp;905–923. {{doi|10.1080/1369183X.2013.855073}}.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|International Organization for Migration}}
* {{Official website}}

{{Transnational child protection}}
{{Humanitarian partners of the European Commission}}
{{United Nations}}{{Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)}}{{Authority control}}

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