We’re better off thanks to migrants, says new UN migration agency chief, 10 years after Lampedusa tragedy
With people on the move globally at “unprecedented” levels, the UN’s new migration agency chief insisted on Monday that rather than being a problem, host countries should recognize that migrants were what their economies needed to thrive.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva on her first official day as head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Amy Pope said that migrants were “people first” who should not be seen as a problem.
That distinction was more critical than ever today, the IOM Director-General added, noting that it was almost 10 years to the day since a migrant shipwreck off the Italian coastline on 3 October 2013 claimed more than 368 lives. It was the agency’s biggest fear that such tragedies “have been normalized”, Ms. Pope said.
“These are people first before we label them as migrants or asylum seekers or anything else, and valuing their human life, recognizing their dignity is key to everything we say and do and whichever Member State we work with,” Ms. Pope said. “Especially as we are reaching the anniversary of Lampedusa, it's an important moment to recognize and recall that ultimately this isn't about a problem, this is about people.”
Recurring vulnerabilities
Migration was not about to end any time soon, Ms. Pope continued, given the huge impact of climate shocks, conflict, persecution and other destabilizing influences on fragile communities around the world, from Latin America to Europe, Asia and Africa.
“We know already that there have been tens of millions of people who are on the move just this year as a result of climate impact. There are hundreds of millions more who live in extremely climate vulnerable communities,” she said.
Because of this dramatic status quo endured by so many individuals, the IOM Director-General insisted that unless wealthier nations helped them to withstand drought and other climate shocks, while also embracing the opportunities offered by migration, it was very likely that the world would see more “desperate people” on the move.
AI limitations
“Whether it’s climate change, whether it’s conflict, whether it’s the inability to find a job or a future at home, or violence within neighbourhoods or communities, more and more people are looking to find a better life somewhere else in the world.”
Asked whether US President Joe Biden’s decision last month to allow some 470,000 unregistered Venezuelans to work legally might encourage migration, the IOM chief responded that if there weren’t jobs, “they wouldn't come”.
The UN migration agency’s goal was therefore to call for more “regular, realistic pathways for people,”, Ms. Pope said, before highlighting the findings of a World Bank report that underscored how migration was a “powerful force” for poverty reduction.
Today, no less than 30 of the world’s biggest economies are struggling to fill posts in health care, agriculture, construction, hospitality, “you name it”, the IOM chief said. “Frankly, while there have been tremendous developments in artificial intelligence, it does not move at the pace to remedy those labour shortages. And many, many of those jobs will not be done well by a machine.”
Spanish model
Noting how the Spanish Government had embraced the labour solutions offered by migration, Ms. Pope insisted that economies that had seen a significant influx of migrants over the years had seen “overwhelmingly that people tend to be better off as a result of migration, whether it's because it's fuelling innovation, it's fuelling labour supply, whether it's fuelling the renovation or revitalization of aging communities. Migration, on the whole, is a benefit.”
As an indication of her priorities, this coming Sunday the new IOM chief heads to Addis Ababa to meet African Union representatives, followed by a visit to Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti.
Over 80 per cent of migration takes place in Africa, Ms. Pope told reporters, adding that in addition to governments, she intended to pursue discussions for migration solutions with local communities, civil society and the private sector.
“You have to have the private sector at the table, because the private sector is saying, ‘Look, we have the jobs, we just don't have people to fill them. Help us get through the red tape, help us to get through, get the access.’”
ends
STORY: IMO chief Amy Pope
TRT: 3 min 46s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 2 October 2023 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Institutionalised forced labour by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea constitutes grave violations of human rights – UN report
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Time is running out for starving civilians in Sudan, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday, while talks involving the country’s warring parties continue in Geneva this week.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | WHO , WMO , ILO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the World Health Organization, the World Meteorological Organization, and the International Labour Organization.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC faces a severe humanitarian crisis with 25M in need and rising conflict-related issues.
1
1
2
Press Conferences | UNCTAD
Publication of the Digital Economy Report 2024: Shaping an environmentally sustainable and inclusive digital future
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
A gimmer of good news emerged from Gaza on Tuesday as patients returned to at a newly reopened UN health centre in Khan Younis, six months after it was severely damaged and forced to close by heavy fighting, the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) said.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN condemns attacks on Kyiv hospitals, calls for immediate action to protect civilians.
1
1
2
Edited News | WHO
In Gaza, soaring temperatures, hunger and unsanitary conditions present an ever more deadly threat to a population under constant attack, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | OHCHR , WHO , OCHA , UNHCR , WFP
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chairs a hybrid briefing, attended by spokespersons and representatives of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR).
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WMO , IFRC
Hurricane Beryl smashes into Caribbean, turns sights on Mexico As Hurricane Beryl’s destructive path shifted to Mexico on Friday after roiling the Caribbean, UN agencies and partners said that the emergency response was underway, before warning that a very long and damaging hurricane season looks increasingly likely.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | FAO , IFRC , OCHA , WHO
Rolando Gómez of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, attended by spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the World Meteorological Organization, the Food and Agricultural Organization and the World Health Organization.