IOM Georgia
IOM (The International Organization for Migration, iom.ge) or IOM - International Organization for Migration. Date of establishment - December 1951. The aim is to regularize the population movement in Western European countries, which became necessary as a result of the Second World War.
Originally IOM was an intergovernmental committee (it was composed only of Western European countries), in 1989 the organization was granted the status of an international body resolving migration issues and problems.
IOM activities in Georgia
Since 1993, IOM has established a partnership with the Government of Georgia. In 27 years of successful work it has been able to transfer experience and assist the state in issues from justice, post-crisis response, migration and immigration, clear border control and management.
Within the framework of developed programs IOM in Georgia has provided:
- Support for resettlement of over 500 foreign migrants and over 2100 citizens of Georgia (data from 2003 to 2013);
- Reintegration assistance to more than 600 Georgian repatriates;
- Employment of more than 8000 citizens of Georgia;
- Financing of more than 1000 new enterprises;
- Advice and support services for more than 35,000 Georgian migrants;
- Educational, awareness raising activities for 500,000 different population groups;
- Professional training for Georgian citizens and foreign migrants.
The main IOM office is located in Tbilisi, 19 Tengiz Abuladze Street. The head is Sanya Chelebik Lukovac.
IOM structure
The IOM headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland, and until 1961 were in Brussels, Belgium.
The structure of the IOM body is as follows:
- Council (supreme body). Sessions are held annually. They discuss the annual budget and approve major programmes. States Members of IOM make mandatory contributions to the organization's budget, individuals and non-governmental institutions contribute on a voluntary basis.
- Standing Committee on Programmes and Finance. Solves issues relating to programme and project development, transactions.
- Working groups. Necessary to monitor the changing situation in the State, the world.
- Informational consultation. Professionals develop materials available for each migrant.
- Executive Committee. Reviews the internal and external policies of states, activities and management of IOM.
William Lacy Swing has long been the head of the Council, and since 2018 Vitorino Antonino has been in office.
Today, the Organization has such members:
- 132 States that provide assistance as far as possible in matters of displacement of nationals;
- 17 observer countries monitoring the validity of migration options;
- 400 domestic offices around the world.
Russia joined the IOM as an observer state in May 1992. Ukraine has been a Member State of the Organization since 2002.
IOM tasks
Thanks to the well-coordinated work of IOM bodies, it is possible to solve and control the following tasks:
- Humanitarian migration: assistance in the safe resettlement of refugees, returnees, victims of inter-racial violence and other conflicts. This includes assistance in organizing family reunification.
- Domestic development: attracting labour and intellectual resources to countries. The priority ways of development of a state and the needs of its population are taken into account.
- Technical cooperation. Development of programmes that will help to facilitate quality migration: advice, education and training of staff, setting up technical equipment, real-time support in accordance with the changing situation in a particular State and the world.
- Combating human trafficking: awareness raising, assistance to victims, housing and health services.
Research and analysis is another important task for IOM. There is a need to process ongoing information on developments in relevant migration legislation. International and regional seminars, conferences are held at which the causes and consequences of resettlement, the needs of migrants are discussed. The best known forums:
- IDM (International Dialogue on Migration);
- RCPs (Regional Consultation Processes on Migration);
- GFMD (Global Forum on Migration and Development).
According to the objectives set, IOM is running more than 1,500 projects in parallel.