The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the principal intergovernmental body working on migration. It was founded in 1951 in the aftermath of World War II to help resettle displaced Europeans, originally under the name Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe (PICMME). It later became the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration, then the Intergovernmental Committee for Migration, and finally adopted the name IOM in 1989.
In September 2016, IOM entered into a formal agreement with the United Nations, becoming a related organization of the UN system. This brought it into closer alignment with UN coordination mechanisms while preserving its distinct governance and project-based funding model.
IOM's headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland, and it operates field offices in well over 100 countries. Its work spans:
- Emergency and humanitarian response, including assistance to internally displaced persons and refugees
- Resettlement and movement operations, often partnering with UNHCR
- Counter-trafficking and protection of vulnerable migrants
- Assisted voluntary return and reintegration (AVRR) programs
- Migration health assessments and services
- Data and research, notably through the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) and the World Migration Report series
- Policy support to states on migration governance, border management, and labor mobility
IOM played a central role, alongside UN DESA and member states, in the negotiation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, adopted in Marrakech in December 2018, and it coordinates the UN Network on Migration established to support implementation.
Unlike UNHCR, which has a treaty-based protection mandate under the 1951 Refugee Convention, IOM operates without a single founding protection treaty; its activities are largely project-funded by donor states, which shapes both its operational flexibility and the critiques it sometimes faces regarding mandate scope and migrant protection.
Example
In 2022, IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix recorded movements of millions of people fleeing the war in Ukraine, informing humanitarian planning by EU member states and partner agencies.
Frequently asked questions
IOM is a related organization of the United Nations, formalized by a September 2016 agreement. It is part of the UN system but retains separate governance and is funded largely through voluntary, project-based contributions.
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