Copenhagen, 11 October 2016 (IOM): On 19 September 2016, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) became a related agency to the United Nations.
After 65 years of existence and global operations outside the UN system, the migration agency formally joined the UN at the United Nations Summit on Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants in New York.
The agreement between IOM and the UN was signed by IOM Director General William Lacy Swing and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Growing recognition
The signature was the culmination of a process that began in earnest in June 2016 when IOM Member States endorsed the process to join the UN.
It reflects the growing recognition of the importance of migration and the need to better link human mobility with related policy agendas, including in the humanitarian, development, human rights, climate change and peace and security domains.
The global impact of migration and across domains is also seen in its inclusion in the goal and target framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Like the other UN agencies, IOM is and will be supporting the implementation of the SDGs in the years to come.
“The signature of this historic agreement brings the leading global migration agency, International Organization for Migration (IOM) – into the United Nations – the culmination of a 65-year relationship. For the very first time in 71 years, the UN now has a ‘UN Migration Agency’,” Ambassador Swing said.
Even closer collaboration
IOM’s collaboration with the UN is already close, and will become even more so with the organization as part of the UN system. This will help ensure that the issues surrounding the world’s 244 million international migrants are well addressed.
Following the New York Summit, IOM is expected to have a leading role in the process, which will lead to a Global Compact on safe, regular and orderly migration.
