International Organization of Migration (IOM)

About the International Organization of Migration (IOM)

• The IOM is an intergovernmental organization that provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers.
• Establishment: IOM was established in 1951.
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
• Member States: IOM has 175 member states and 8 observer states.
• Mandate: To promote humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all, through providing services and advice to governments and migrants.
• Publications: World Migration Report, Migration Health Annual Report.

Key Areas of Work:

• Migration and development: IOM works to maximize the benefits of migration for both the home and host countries, as well as for migrants themselves.
• Migration health: The organization provides health services and support to migrants and displaced populations.
• Emergency operations: IOM responds to humanitarian crises by providing emergency relief and post-crisis recovery programs, such as transportation assistance, temporary shelter, and rebuilding infrastructure.

Counter-Trafficking: The organization actively combats human trafficking through prevention, protection, and prosecution initiatives, providing support to victims of trafficking.

Q1: What is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)?

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. It also has a mandate to help stateless people.

Source: At least 49 migrants dead, 140 missing off Yemen coast