Benin – the Launchpad and Home for African Migrants

Last year, Mohamed Keita returned home to Mali after living and working in Libya for six years. Eighteen months ago he was arrested by security forces in Libya as he and other migrants tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe via a makeshift boat. After spending a traumatising six months in jail, he was transported back to Mali. But as soon as he arrived he immediately knew that it would be difficult for him to stay put.

Immigrants don’t change culture but they surely can win you the World Cup

If there was any doubt about President Trump's racist inclinations, it was fully removed by his pontification to the European leaders about, what he thinks, the negative consequences of immigration on Europe. Every time the US president opens his mouth on any subject, with the exception, perhaps, of real estate business, he betrays an abject ignorance on practically everything under the sun. And every time he does that I am reminded of what an illustrious predecessor of his, and he belonged to the Republican Party also, had said about the dangers of speaking out of turn, which was that, “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.”

Half of the Young People from Poor Central American Neighbourhoods Want to Migrate

La Carpio is an island of poverty on the outskirts of Costa Rica's capital, surrounded by the country's most polluted waters – the Torres River - on one side and a massive garbage dump on the other.

Over 1,000 New Shelters Built for Rohingya Refugees Threatened by Landslides

Shelter teams from IOM, the UN Migration Agency, working with over 19,000 Rohingya refugee and local labourers, this week completed the construction of over 1,000 new shelters as part of a rapid response project to help move refugee families most at risk from landslides during the monsoon.

Support of Influential World Leaders Not Enough to End Rohingya Crisis

Despite having the strong support of influential global leaders, Bangladesh has "missed" the opportunity to mobilise the world’s superpowers and place pressure on Myanmar to allow for the repatriation of the Rohingya refugees. 

IOM Identifies 970,000 Displaced People in Ethiopia’s Gedeo, West Guji Since April

Clashes between communities on the border of Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) and Oromia regions have forced some 970,000 people to flee their homes since April 2018, most becoming displaced in June alone.

Immigration, Lot of Myths and Little Reality

According to the latest statistics, the total flow of immigrants that reached Europe so far in 2018 is 50.000 people, compared with 186,768 last year, 1,259,955 in 2016 and 1,327,825 in 2015. The difference between reality and perceptions is so astonishing, we are clearly witnessing one of the most brilliant manipulations in history.

Fate of Rohingya Refugees Discussed by IOM Chief and Bangladesh Prime Minister

Almost a million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh face a triple threat of extreme weather, funding shortfalls and uncertainty about their future, William Lacy Swing, head of the UN Migration Agency, IOM, said today.

The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development Must Address Migration

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda) is a global framework of immense ambition and consequence. It is, as the UN Secretary-General has described it, a ‘blueprint for dignity, peace and prosperity for people and the planet’.

Ethiopian Migrant Returnees Get a New Lease on Life, Through Business Training and Reintegration Support

When 25-year-old Maru dropped out of school in the tenth grade he knew that he could not survive on loans from his relatives. He decided to leave Ethiopia in January 2017 to find work in South Africa, but he never made it there. He went through Kenya and Tanzania in transit, before being arrested and held in Malawi for eight months.

DG Swing Discusses Myanmar Crisis with Aung San Suu Kyi

IOM’s Director General William Lacy Swing said rebuilding community cohesion in Myanmar is key to resolving the crisis created by the flight of 700,000 refugees to Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh since last August.

Why Women Migrant Workers Are Compelled to Come Back

 
How severe was the exploitation of those women migrant workers you have interviewed? Everyone knows how restrictive the state of freedom—especially that of women—is in Saudi Arabia. So, you can only imagine how vulnerable a foreign worker could become in such a society. It was because of such vulnerability that countries like the Philippines and Indonesia stopped sending their women workers to the country. In fact, Bangladesh sought to cash in on the vacuum created by the absence of Filipino and Indonesian workers.

Co-signatories of Geneva Declaration on migration and human solidarity meet with Mr. Volker Türk, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection

(Geneva Centre) - On 9 July 2018, the Geneva-based co-signatories of the Geneva Declaration entitled “Mobility and human solidarity, a challenge and an opportunity for Europe and the MENA region” were received by the UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Mr. Volker Türk.

Kuwait Provides USD 10 Million to UN Migration Agency for Operations in Yemen 

On Monday, 9 July, the State of Kuwait donated USD 10 million in support of the UN Migration Agency (IOM)’s humanitarian work in Yemen.

Europe Needs to Stop the Criminal Business Behind Immigration

Debating on migration as an emergency is a huge mistake and treating it as such opens the door for illegal and unfair activities, says a migration expert.

Migration and Sustainable Development Goals focus of 2018 High-level Political Forum

IOM, the UN Migration Agency, participates in the 2018 High-level Political Forum (HLPF), which is underway from 9-18 July, by co-organizing three events to address the migration related aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the UN Headquarters in New York.

United Nations Compact Must End Child Detention

World leaders must commit to ending child migrant detention during United Nations negotiations next week, a human rights group said.

DG Swing Asks Libya Not to Send Rescued Migrants Back to Detention

William Lacy Swing, head of IOM, the UN Migration Agency, appealed to the Libyan authorities to stop detaining migrants after they have been intercepted by the Coast Guard after seeking to cross the Mediterranean. IOM also seeks to speed up the process of voluntary return of migrants to their countries of origin.

Planting Seeds for a Safer Future

More than one million Rohingya refugees escaped violence in Myanmar. They are living on the hilly terrains of Cox's Bazar where the land is steep and the soil is sandy. They are desperate for space to build shelters and they have used the plantation to care for their families. Now, the land they live on is bare, and the sandy slopes are extremely vulnerable to landslides during the monsoon and cyclone seasons.

IOM Chief Arrives in Libya to Advocate for Migrants’ Rights

BREAKING — Ambassador William Lacy Swing, IOM Director General, arrived in Tripoli this morning (04/07) to visit the survivors of the latest migration tragedy off Libya’s shores, and Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj.

Peace “Only Way Forward” For Yemen

Tackling the relentless conflict in Yemen has never been more urgent as it has pushed the Middle Eastern nation “deep into the abyss.” However, much can be learned from recent and ongoing initiatives.