Intergovernmental Organization
(1) Overview of activities
IOM is the leading inter-governmental
organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental,
intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. With 122 member states, a
further 18 states holding observer status and offices in over 100 countries,
IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of
all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.
IOM works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to
promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search
for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian
assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people.
From its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland,
IOM manages more than 400 field
locations and approximately 5,500 staff working on more than 1,600 projects,
valued at over US$ 750 million in 2007. Learn more about IOM.
(2) Role in emergency relief and reconstruction
IOM provides
transportation and emergency humanitarian assistance to persons requiring
evacuation from emergency situations as well as post-emergency movement
assistance. While evacuation assistance, including assistance to countries of
temporary protection, may involve international movement, post-emergency
movement assistance generally relates to domestic movements of internally
displaced persons, demobilized soldiers and persons affected by natural disasters.
Assistance is also provided for post-emergency reconstruction initiatives.
(3) Major opportunities for business
support
The private sector has a significant
and valuable role to play in realizing the positive benefits of migration and
in minimizing its costs. While the management of cross-border population flow
is an intrinsic feature of state sovereignty, many aspects of migration,
especially labour mobility, are also of interest to corporations. The
multidimensional nature of migration makes the involvement of the private
sector an essential component of a coherent and comprehensive approach.
Examples of IOM’s business partnerships can be found on its corporate
partnerships web page.
(4)
Contribution/Contact information
IOM seeks to
forge partnerships with private sector actors focused on areas and subjects of
mutual interest and shared values with full respect for each other's resources,
expertise, knowledge, and skills. Successful partnerships can involve
information exchanges on best practices, in-kind support, and direct financial
support of projects. Agreed goals and processes for monitoring, evaluating and
publicizing partnerships are important elements of such partnerships.
If you wish to discuss how you and IOM can work
together in partnership, please contact:
Scott Schirmer
Donor Relations Department – Private Sector Liaison
+41 22 717 9232
sschirmer@iom.int
(5) Examples of engagement with the
private sector
AIG:
Following
the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL GROUP, INC. Disaster
Relief Fund contributed to an innovative disaster preparedness program. IOM
Pakistan used the US$ 1 million donation to establish ten support hubs and to
professionally train and equip rapid response teams to operate in remote areas.
The project focused on capacity building for provincial governments and civil
society in order to improve their ability to monitor and quickly respond to
earthquakes, as well as other emergencies.
Activities
also included dissemination of information to the population, monitoring of
critical areas, and establishing emergency communication links to the outside world.
"IOM has been a valuable partner for the AIG Disaster Relief Fund. The
humanitarian and recovery assistance that IOM provided in the wake of the 2005
earthquake in Pakistan
has been tremendous, and we are proud to support them," said Ned Cloonan,
President of the AIG Disaster Relief Fund.
UBS:
UBS
funded an IOM Indonesia trafficking prevention program in 2006 that included an
information campaign, provision of livelihood support, infrastructure and
training for 500 vulnerable women/heads of household, and strengthening
individual capacity for impoverished and tsunami disaster affected families.
The project complemented another IOM program financed by UBS, a care-home
facility and non-formal education centre on the tsunami-affected island of Nias, for orphans and abandoned or
otherwise vulnerable children from impoverished families who are at risk of
being trafficked.
David Boyd-Thomas noted, UBS has been pleased to partner with IOM Indonesia on
two different projects in Tsunami-effected areas of the country. We have been
impressed by the professionalism, diligence, and speed with which IOM has been
able to undertake projects. In particular, their logistics capability under
less than ideal circumstances has proven to really make a difference for the lives
of many thousands of Indonesians who are setting out to re-establish themselves
and their communities after the horrific terror of 26 December 2004."
STANDARD CHARTERED BANK:
IOM
Indonesia and STANDARD CHARTERED BANK developed a project with the District
Health Office in Aceh Barat in 2005 to revitalize community health
infrastructure and build capacity in tsunami affected areas in Indonesia. The
contribution paid for construction and equipping of one district health
training facility and a dormitory building, and supported ten professional
training sessions.
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