The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is mobilizing teams and boosting capacity in Ukraine and neighbouring countries to respond to the growing humanitarian needs of Ukrainians forced to flee the country. According to initial figures from IOM teams in neighboring countries, at least 600,000 people fled Ukraine in the first five days following the start of military operations and the escalation in hostilities. The Organization’s number one priority is the safety and protection of all those fleeing the country – including third country nationals – and their ability to access assistance.
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The total estimated 281 million people living in a country other than their countries of birth in 2020 was 128 million more than in 1990 and over three times the estimated number in 1970. In the run-up to the first International Migration Review Forum, the UN Network on Migration hosts a Migration Week on 14-18 February. Migration Week is the opportunity to showcase good practices in the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, while encouraging strong engagement ahead of the Forum. Check out the programme to see the events organized worldwide.
Manuela is a survivor of human trafficking, traded and exploited for profit. Minutes after her arrival from Venezuela, Manuela, who had been promised a decent job, was forced into a van by Trinidadian men and driven to a secret location where other women were held. “Some people kept us in captivity for about a month. They forced us to work (as sexual workers),” Manuela says. “In trying to escape, I ended up getting arrested. I was in prison.” The International Organization for Migration (IOM) advocated on Manuela’s behalf to free her from prison.
Mobility is a defining feature of humanity. From the steppe lands of Central Asia to the ancient trading routes of the Sahel, and the Andean highlands, we are driven to expand and explore. People leave their ancestral homes to work, to learn, to seek a better future.
In most discussions on migration, the starting point is usually numbers. Understanding changes in scale, emerging trends and shifting demographics related to global social and economic transformations, such as migration, help us make sense of the changing world we live in and plan for the future. The current global estimate is that there were around 281 million international migrants in the world in 2020, which equates to 3.6 per cent of the global population. COVID-19-related immobility has become the “great disrupter” of migration.
Sitting around a conference room table in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, Julius Onisente uses a stylus to emboss dots that form patterns to make a sentence. Julius is one of 20 people who attended a three-week Grade II Braille training organized by IOM to help participants build on existing braille reading and writing skills. The protracted civil war in the country has left many people vulnerable, especially those with disabilities. Such training is in high demand across South Sudan so IOM and partners continue to work towards extending similar trainings beyond the capital.
Hundreds of lives are believed to have been lost along the route and particularly at sea in the Gulf of Aden.
At the end of 2020, around 7 million people in 104 countries and territories were living in displacement as a result of disasters that happened not only in 2020, but also in previous years.
Pictured are Fadmou and her child. She and family planned to travel from Somaliland to Yemen in hopes of reaching the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Fadmou is one of many migrants who were unaware that she was about to cross into a war zone until she was informed by IOM staff while staying at an IOM migrant response centre in Hargesia, Somaliland. “The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened existing crises around the world,” says the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Director of Operations and Emergencies, Jeffrey Labovitz. In 2020, IOM reached over 37 million people in need worldwide, providing much-needed aid to migrants, internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees, and the local communities who support them.
A recent IOM report calls to urgently improve support for tens of thousands of missing migrant families who are often forced to rely on smugglers and informal networks in tracing loved ones.
When people go missing on migration journeys, their disappearance has reverberating effects on their families and communities left behind. IOM aims to learn how people with missing migrant relatives cope with the absence of their loved ones while actively seeking answers, and how they could be better supported in their efforts by governments and other actors.
Ethiopian men make up 72 per cent of movements of migrants heading to Djibouti, but IOM is observing a higher number of unaccompanied migrant children taking this dangerous journey.
Every day, in cities across Europe, frontline workers provide essential services to migrant communities in a challenging context. They play a vital role in the daily lives of many individuals and families by serving as a link between these communities and the host country. Who are these frontline workers? What do they do, what barriers do they face in their daily work, and how do they build trust and engage with the people they serve? How does their work impact their own lives? The UN Organization for Migration (IOM) got to know nine frontline workers from across Europe who shared their experiences.
For many lesbian, gay, bi, trans, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) people, leaving their communities in search of a safer and more welcoming place to call home is the only way to find a job, get access to healthcare or find safety from poverty, family rejection, criminalization, threats and violence. Every human being deserves the freedom to simply be themselves, without facing violence and discrimination. Together we can create a future free from prejudice, where everyone truly belongs. Help us spread these stories of determination and resilience . Learn more >>