International Organization for Migration

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is an intergovernmental organization focused on migration, displacement and mobility. Established in 1951 in the aftermath of the Second World War, it was initially created to help arrange the movement and resettlement of displaced Europeans. Over time, its mandate expanded from postwar population movement to a broad range of migration-related humanitarian, operational and policy activities. IOM works with governments, United Nations entities, civil-society organizations and other partners to support humane and orderly migration. Its activities include emergency assistance, displacement response, voluntary return and reintegration, migrant protection, resettlement and relocation support, health services connected with migration, border and identity-management assistance, labor-mobility programs, counter-trafficking work, migration data and research, and technical support for migration policy. The organization generally operates through country missions, regional offices and field programs rather than through consumer products or commercial services. The organization became a related organization of the United Nations in 2016. Its association with the UN system strengthened institutional cooperation while preserving IOM's separate legal and operational identity. IOM is also the coordinator and secretariat of the UN Migration Network, which supports system-wide coherence on migration issues and implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. IOM's work covers the full migration cycle, including prevention and preparedness, movement, reception, integration, return and reintegration, and responses to crisis-driven displacement. In emergencies, the organization may provide shelter, transportation, camp coordination, protection referrals, health support and assistance with family tracing or documentation. In non-emergency settings, it supports governments and communities with migration governance, migrant inclusion, skills mobility, diaspora engagement, data systems and evidence-based policy. As a public-interest organization, IOM does not operate as a listed company and does not report commercial sales or stock-market performance. Its programs are financed through contributions and project funding from member states, other governments, UN partners, international institutions and additional public or institutional donors. The scale and geographic distribution of its work can therefore change according to humanitarian crises, donor priorities and requests from governments. IOM's positioning combines field-level delivery with policy and technical expertise. It describes its purpose in terms of promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. The organization remains active globally, with work spanning humanitarian response, migration governance, migrant assistance and research. Its role can also be debated because migration management often involves governments' border, return and security policies; IOM's work consequently sits at the intersection of humanitarian assistance, state policy and international cooperation.

The International Organization for Migration emerged from the large-scale displacement crisis that followed the Second World War. In 1951, governments established the Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe to organize the transport and resettlement of people displaced by the war. The institution later developed through successive changes in mandate and name, becoming the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration and subsequently the Intergovernmental Committee for Migration before adopting the name International Organization for Migration. During its early decades, the organization concentrated on practical movement and resettlement. It helped arrange transportation, reception and migration services for displaced Europeans and later extended its operations beyond Europe. As decolonization, political upheaval, labor mobility and refugee movements created new patterns of displacement, the organization broadened its geographic reach and program portfolio. The expanded institution increasingly addressed migration as a multidimensional issue rather than solely a matter of transportation. Its activities came to include emergency response, return and reintegration, migrant assistance, migration health, anti-trafficking efforts, labor migration, border and identity management, policy advice, data collection and institutional capacity building. This operational orientation allowed IOM to work directly with governments and affected populations while also collaborating with the wider humanitarian and development communities. IOM's work became particularly visible in responses to conflicts, natural disasters and other emergencies producing internal displacement or cross-border movement. Field programs have included assistance with shelter, transportation, camp coordination, health, protection, documentation, family support and recovery. Alongside emergency operations, IOM has supported voluntary return and reintegration programs and provided technical services intended to improve migration governance. A major institutional turning point came in 2016, when IOM entered into an agreement with the United Nations and became a related organization of the UN system. The arrangement integrated IOM more closely into UN coordination while retaining its distinct constitutional and operational character. The organization is commonly presented as part of the UN system and uses the public-facing designation “UN Migration.” IOM also serves as coordinator and secretariat of the UN Migration Network. The network was created to promote coordinated support across the UN system on international migration and to assist implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. Through this role, IOM contributes both operational capacity and institutional coordination to global migration governance. In the contemporary period, IOM operates through a worldwide network of missions, regional structures and field offices. Its work responds to requests from governments and partners and is shaped by humanitarian crises, migration flows, donor funding and international policy priorities. The organization remains active across emergency response, migrant protection, health, return and reintegration, resettlement, labor mobility, migration data and policy support. Its continuing challenge is to balance humanitarian principles and migrant assistance with the fact that many programs are delivered in cooperation with states responsible for migration control and border policy.

• 2023

  Amy Pope becomes Director General

  [1]International Organization for Migration | IOM, UN Migrationiom.int

  Amy E. Pope began serving as IOM Director General, succeeding António Vitorino.

• 2018

  UN Migration designation and network coordination

  [1]International Organization for Migration | IOM, UN Migrationiom.int

  IOM assumed the coordinator and secretariat role for the UN Migration Network, supporting system-wide cooperation on international migration.

• 2016

  Association with the United Nations system

  [1]International Organization for Migration | IOM, UN Migrationiom.int

  IOM became a related organization of the United Nations, deepening its participation in UN coordination while maintaining a separate institutional identity.

• 1951

  Founding as a postwar migration body

  [1]International Organization for Migration | IOM, UN Migrationiom.int

  Governments established the Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe to help organize the movement and resettlement of people displaced after the Second World War.

• 1950

  Postwar institutional origins

  [1]International Organization for Migration | IOM, UN Migrationiom.int

  The organization's creation was driven by the humanitarian and logistical need to address mass displacement in postwar Europe.

A global intergovernmental migration organization combining humanitarian field operations, migrant assistance, technical cooperation, migration governance and policy expertise.

• Humanitarian services

  Emergency response and displacement assistance

  IOM provides operational assistance to people affected by conflict, disaster and other crises. Depending on the context, programs may include shelter support, transportation, camp coordination and camp management, displacement tracking, health services, protection referrals, non-food assistance and support for early recovery. Delivery is generally conducted with governments, humanitarian partners and affected communities.

• Migration assistance

  Voluntary return and reintegration

  IOM supports migrants who choose to return to their countries of origin, including travel arrangements, pre-departure assistance and reintegration support where programs are available. The approach is presented as voluntary and may include referrals, livelihood assistance, counseling and help reconnecting with community services after return.

• Protection services

  Migrant protection and counter-trafficking

  Protection programs assist migrants facing exploitation, abuse, trafficking, violence or other vulnerabilities. Activities can include identification and referral, direct assistance, safe accommodation, case management, awareness work, support for victims and technical cooperation with authorities and civil-society organizations.

• Health services

  Migration health

  IOM delivers migration-health services connected with travel, resettlement, displacement and public-health programming. These activities may include health assessments, referrals, health promotion, disease prevention, mental-health support and assistance in making health systems more responsive to mobile and displaced populations.

• Technical cooperation

  Migration governance, data and policy support

  IOM provides governments and partners with research, migration data, training, policy advice and institutional support. The work covers migration governance, labor mobility, border and identity management, diaspora engagement, integration, preparedness and the development of evidence for migration planning.

• Humanitarian mobility

  Resettlement and relocation assistance

  IOM supports organized humanitarian movements, including resettlement and relocation operations carried out with governments and international partners. Services can include case-related logistics, transportation, pre-departure orientation, health-related support and coordination with receiving authorities.

• 2018

  Coordination of the UN Migration NetworkStrategy

  Background

  The UN system sought a more coherent approach to international migration policy and implementation after the development of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration.

  Action taken

  IOM became coordinator and secretariat of the UN Migration Network, supporting cooperation among participating UN entities.

  Aftermath

  The role expanded IOM's institutional responsibility from direct programming to broader coordination of UN migration-related work.

  Source

• 2016

  Formal integration into the UN systemStrategy

  Background

  IOM had long collaborated with UN agencies, but migration governance required stronger system-wide coordination as migration became a central humanitarian, development and policy issue.

  Action taken

  IOM entered into an agreement with the United Nations and became a related organization of the UN system, while retaining its separate legal and operational identity.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement increased IOM's participation in UN coordination and positioned it as a central operational organization on migration without turning it into a UN specialized agency.

  Source

1. 1International Organization for Migration | IOM, UN Migrationiom.int