International Organization for Migration

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the principal intergovernmental organization responsible for promoting humane, orderly, and regular migration and providing migration-related services to governments, migrants, and international partners. Established in 1951 as the Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe (PICMME) in the aftermath of World War II, the organization underwent several name changes before adopting its current name in 1989. Since 2016, the IOM has served as a related organization of the United Nations, operating within the UN system while retaining its own constitution and governance structure. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the IOM works with governments, international organizations, civil society, and migrant communities in more than 170 countries to support safe, orderly, and regular migration.

The International Organization for Migration provides operational assistance, policy advice, technical cooperation, and humanitarian support across the full spectrum of migration management. Its principal areas of work include humanitarian assistance, refugee and migrant protection, labour migration, border management, migration governance, resettlement, voluntary return and reintegration, counter-trafficking, migration health, emergency response, displacement tracking, and migration data collection. The organization also assists governments in developing migration policies, strengthening border management systems, improving migration governance, and responding to migration-related crises resulting from conflict, natural disasters, climate change, and other emergencies.

In addition to operational programmes, the IOM conducts research, policy analysis, and capacity-building relating to international migration and human mobility. The organization publishes the biennial World Migration Report, one of the leading global references on migration trends, drivers, and policy developments. It also manages global information systems, migration data initiatives, and displacement monitoring programmes while supporting implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. Through technical cooperation, innovation, and partnerships, the IOM contributes to migration governance, sustainable development, disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, and the protection of migrants' rights.

The International Organization for Migration works closely with institutions including the United Nations, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the World Bank. It also collaborates with governments, regional organizations, humanitarian agencies, and civil society organizations worldwide. Through humanitarian assistance, migration governance, policy development, and international cooperation, the IOM plays a central role in addressing global migration challenges and supporting the safe and dignified movement of people across borders.