Videos
IOM Development Fund - Madagascar
Madagascar, situated off the southeastern coast of Africa, is the fourth largest island in the world and boasts one of the most unique environments. But despite a wealth of natural resources, the country remains one of the world's poorest and heavily dependent on foreign aid.
In the last decade, social and environmental changes have driven many people in Madagascar to increasingly migrate within the country and abroad, in search of opportunities.
In response to this situation the IOM Development Fund has been providing support to the government of Madagascar to address particular areas of migration management.
161 Guinean migrants arrive from Libya in Conakry
On June 13, a UN Migration Agency (IOM) flight from Libya landed in Conakry. 161 stranded migrants from Guinea received return assistance who were living in very difficult conditions in Libya.
Counter-trafficking in Madagascar - IOM Development fund
Madagascar is a source country for trafficking in persons to other countries, primarily for labour exploitation of domestic or textile factory workers. It is also home to high levels of internal trafficking. Most of the causes of trafficking and exploitation are related to the poor socio-economic situation of the country and to a lack of information about the risks of being trafficked.
Between 2015 and 2016 the IOM Development Fund financed a counter trafficking project to raise awareness amongst Malagasy people about the risks of being trafficked in Madagascar, Lebanon, and Kuwait
Thanks to the awareness campaign, many victims of trafficking contacted IOM to receive help and to denounce other cases of trafficking. Their biggest achievement was to regain their confidence and trust.
Labour in Madagascar - IOM Development Fund
Labour migration has always been a reality in Madagascar but the number of departures increased significantly with the effects of the political crisis of 2009, when hundreds of thousands of jobs in the formal sector were lost. Neighbouring countries such as Mauritius, Seychelles, and the Gulf Countries, became the main destinations for Malagasy workers employed in the domestic, textile, fishing, and construction sectors.
But the lack of a well-articulated pre-departure on site, paired with return policies for labour migration has led to many of these workers to be exploited, due to irregular and uninformed migration.
In 2015, IOM Madagascar, with the financial support of the IOM Development Fund, launched a project to strengthen labour migration management in Madagascar, to ensure the protection of migrant workers and their families in national policies.
To reach this goal IOM and the Malagasy Ministry of Employment worked hand in hand to bring all the governmental and non-governmental actors to produce the first analysis on labour migration in Madagascar, including recommendations to enhance benefits and reduce risks for migrant workers.
In February 2017, the project concluded with the development of a roadmap to plan actions and priorities to ensure that, by 2020, migration for the purpose of labour can be leveraged to benefit the country’s development.
Mother and Son Reunion
Chris* from Liberia became separated from his family in Mauritania. Alone and afraid, Chris turned to the UN Migration Agency (IOM) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for help. IOM helped Chris reunite with his mother and are in process of helping them get back to Liberia. Chris also got to meet his new baby sister for the first time.
Activists for Children on the Move
Description: The UN Migration Agency joins with Save the Children and other Civil Society and UN partners to calling for the Global Compacts to protect migrant children. Video: Save the Children 2017
WASH in South Sudan
Water sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) is one of the main components in humanitarian response. A camp with 50,000 internally displaced people needs 750,000 liters of water per day.
GCM presentation Albania 2017
Presentation of the Global Compact on Migration in Albania, on 30 May 2017, as published by the media (Ora News).
UN-biased event
As our brains receive millions of pieces of information each second, we create shortcuts based on preconceived ideas or past-experience in order to make the best decisions quickly.
We tend to naturally have preferences for people that we perceive as familiar or similar to us.
Our Gender Coordination Unit organized an event to discuss unconscious biases & how the UN can overcome them.
Find out more at www.UN-biased.com
DDG Laura Thompson at the UN-biased Event
Deputy Director General Laura Thompson answers a few questions after the UN-Biased event in Geneva. The event was organised by the Gender Coordination Unit. If you are interested in what unconscious biases are, please find out more at: www.UN-biased.com
Climate Change in Cambodia
On World Environmental Day, we explore the impact of climate change & environmental migration in the state of Cambodia.
The United Nations runs for the Together Campaign
On Sunday 28 May 2017, the United Nations agencies in Brussels ran and walked under the colours of the Together Campaign, in a united show of support for diversity and better perceptions about migration, migrants and refugees.