Migrants and IOM

Photo: Tanvir Ahmed/Driknews

Institutions and organisations come up to meet new challenges of time. The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), founded in 1863, is an organisation that brings succor to the wounded, and provides protection and assistance to victims of armed conflicts and strife. Its visionary founder Henry Dunant and the Red Cross were the joint recipients of the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901, the year it was introduced.
Any conflict or natural disaster leaves a trail of human distress, displacement and dislocation and consequent migration inward or outward. Migration is neither a recent phenomenon nor confined to poorer countries. In fact, large scale migration originated in Europe during the First World War.
Human dislocation took the worst form during, and in the aftermath of, the Second World War in Europe and also in the Soviet Union. To escape from persecution in Europe and in the USSR a huge number of Jewish people in particular swamped the Palestinian territory, then under British Mandate. For the resettlement of the displaced persons of Europe, the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) was created in 1951.
By the mid-fifty's ICEM arranged migration of 4,06,000 refugees, displaced persons and economic migrants from Europe to overseas countries. ICEM gradually extended resettlement assistance to Latin America, Africa and Asia. During the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971 ICEM assisted UNHCR in the resettlement of 1,30,000 refugees from Bangladesh to Pakistan.
Through its European experience the Committee found that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. The ICEM was transformed into International Organization for Migration (IOM) in 1989 in recognition of its expertise and increasing global reach. While not a part of the UN system, IOM maintains close working relations with its bodies and agencies. IOM has as partners many international and non-governmental organisations.
Soon after IOM was created the Gulf crisis developed when Saddam Hosein invaded Kuwait in 1990. The turmoil resulted in one of the worst human dislocations in history, forcing a few thousand people to cross into the Saudi desert and Iraqi-Turkish border. In confusion, uncertainty and anxiety for security, thousands of expatriates in Kuwait and Iraq headed towards the no-man's land between Kuwait-Iraq-Jordan.
The migrant workers of Bangladesh joined the human waves towards Jordan. The number of Bangladeshi refugees swelled to 14,000 in Amman in the first week of September. A large number was kept waiting in the no-man's land under inhuman conditions, and would be allowed to cross into Jordan once backlog was flown out. PIA and Air India were flying out their nationals. Bangladesh, which had two Boeing 707 aircraft then, was unable to cope with urgent commercial commitments. Doomsday for them would not have been far had there been no intervention by IOM.
Amman became the hub of the international media covering the Gulf War. The plight of migrant workers came under focus of the world media. Humanitarian assistance began to flown in. IOM made an appeal for donations for charter flights. We also requested NORAD, Swedish Middle East Church and the EEC (now EU), who obliged us with chartered flights.
The IOM's experience in the European migration came into full play. The international community promised contributions or flight commitments to IOM. The Organisation became the coordinator and lead agency to charter as well as to allocate flights to move out migrants to their destinations.
We, maintained close liaison with IOM in Amman. Bangladesh received the highest number of flights in the shortest possible time. An estimated $22 million was spent by IOM in surface transportation as well as flying out approximately 65,000 Bangladesh migrants from September to November 1990.
After the successful repatriation of the displaced migrants from the Gulf crisis IOM became a high-profile inter-governmental organisation that provides rapid humanitarian response to sudden influx of migrants and aid to the displaced.
In the midst of repatriation I proposed that Bangladesh should be a member of IOM, to which the foreign ministry readily agreed, and authorised me to contact James N. Purcell, Director-General, IOM in Geneva. He instructed an IOM team in Amman to visit Bangladesh in October 1990. Following the visit, Bangladesh became member in November 27, 1990.
The Amman repatriation brought the realisation that South Asia needed capacity building and infrastructure for orderly migration. IOM, therefore, established a regional office in Dhaka in August 1998 focusing on (i) strengthening labour migration process, (ii) combating trafficking in women and children, (iii) assisting in resettlement, repatriation, transportation and post emergency assistance, (iv) technical cooperation and capacity building, (v) migration information analysis and dissemination, in particular public information campaigns, and (vi) research related to migration management and other services.
The trend in population decline and ageing in developed countries called for reversal of near prohibitive and anti-immigration policy in the West. A pragmatic immigration policy will discourage pervasive, clandestine migration and trafficking in human cargo from the South to the North.
Another trend in human dislocation is in the offing due to global warming and climate refugees. IOM, therefore, needs to launch a global campaign to create awareness for orderly mobilisation of affected people beyond their borders.
Funding is a constraint for IOM. To tide over the current repatriation from Libya IOM has appealed for $160 million. It has repatriated about 25,000 out of 30,000 Bangladeshi migrants. It is devoted to containing social unrest and civil strife through orderly migration of distressed and displaced refugees, and providing human security. The Organisation needs high visibility and prestige in order to raise funds to serve humanity in distress, which can only come from winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

The writer is former Ambassador to Libya and Tunisia and Team Leader Repatriation Group during the Gulf Crisis 1990.
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