Department of Operations
and Emergencies

The Department of Operations and Emergencies is responsible for overseeing IOM's activities related to resettlement, movement, logistics, preparedness and response in migration crises and humanitarian emergencies through recovery and transitional settings.

The Department coordinates IOM's participation in humanitarian responses and provides migration services in emergencies or post-crisis situations to address the needs of individuals and uprooted communities, thereby contributing to their protection. It provides technical support to Field efforts, particularly in responding to forced migration and massive population movements, including protracted internal and cross-border displacement and refugee situations. This contributes to improving the conditions of crisis-affected populations and leads to life-saving interventions through the early identification and implementation of comprehensive durable solutions to end displacement conditions.

The Department directs, oversees and coordinates IOM's resettlement work and transport programmes. It also provides strategic recommendations on both policy and operational issues and provides guidance to Field operations on project development and implementation and inter-agency coordination.

The Department of Operations and Emergencies is composed of four divisions and one unit:

    (a) Preparedness and Response Division,
    (b) Transition and Recovery Division,
    (c) Land, Property and Reparations Division,
    (d) Resettlement and Movement Management Division, and
    (e) Statistics and Knowledge Management Unit.

The Preparedness and Response Division serves as the institutional focal point for migration crisis preparedness and mitigation. The Division undertakes the collection and analysis of information, conducts contingency planning and acts as IOM's early warning service for humanitarian crises. It also undertakes rapid needs assessment and assists in the development of a strategic response framework. It proposes policy and global strategy and provides guidance on IOM's role in crisis preparedness and mitigation. It also sets institutional standards and maintains an operational overview of responses to natural disasters and complex emergency operations worldwide.

The Transition and Recovery Division is responsible for overseeing transition/recovery and community stabilization programmes guided by the durable solutions framework to end displacement situations. The Division provides policy and global strategy development, technical support and guidance on IOM's role in assisting governments and mobile and vulnerable populations to cope with migration- related pressures and to recover from the effects of natural disasters, environmental degradation, human rights violations, instability and war. It also provides global guidance on the formulation and implementation of recovery and rehabilitation plans to enable forced migrants, return communities and vulnerable populations make the transition from the emergency relief stage to mid- and long-term stabilization through the achievement of durable solutions to displacement and the enhancement of communities' resilience capacity.

The Land, Property and Reparations Division is responsible for providing policy and operational support in the post-crisis phase regarding repatriations for victims of conflict, forced displacement, natural disasters, human rights violations and displacement, conflict resolution, and return-related land and property issues, including the restitution of property rights to displaced and other vulnerable populations.

The Resettlement and Movement Management Division directs, oversees and coordinates IOM's resettlement work and transport programmes. As the institutional focal point for resettlement and transport operations, the Division coordinates the policy, programmatic and resource management aspects of IOM's work in these areas and provides direction, guidance and support to the Organization's Field managers of resettlement and movement programmes. It also negotiates, oversees and maintains the Organization's global agreements with air carriers and other transport providers and is the focal point for managing movements of IOM-assisted passengers travelling by air, land or sea. For more information, see Resettlement Assistance.

The Statistics and Knowledge Management Unit is responsible for maintaining quality control for IOM operations by providing support for data collection, analysis and evaluation and for the systematic consolidation of knowledge to strengthen IOM's humanitarian response and recovery operations. The detailed statistics produced by the Unit provide the source of data for multilevel analysis of IOM projects, donor reporting and financial control. The Unit is also responsible for developing tools and products to better support operations and programmes under emergency and post-crisis operations.