Geneva.- The
International Organization for Migration (IOM) requested this Thursday, International Migrants Day, to recognize the contribution of migrants to societies and economies, both in the countries in which they seek better opportunities and in those they have left.
According to the most recent official figures,
304 million people, representing almost 4% of the world’s population, live outside their country of birth, a figure that is constantly increasing as people move for work, security, education, and family reunification.
“Today, we pay tribute to the people who embark on the journey in search of safety and opportunities, and we call for global solidarity to build just and inclusive systems that protect them. When migration is managed with dignity and purpose, it benefits everyone,” stated the
Director General of IOM, American Amy Pope.
However, the foundations of this organization’s work have been shaken – as has happened to the rest of the agencies and entities of the humanitarian ecosystem created around the United Nations – by the massive cuts to international aid, which threaten its ability to help the most vulnerable migrants and preserve their dignity.
Forced by a 30% cut in the planned funding (mainly from the United States), IOM initiated a savings plan last March that has had a strong impact on immigrant communities and has prevented it from assisting populations forced to move, whether due to armed conflicts, natural disasters or other reasons.
Difficulties for Migrants
The available data indicates that more than
83 million people are displaced in a world where emergencies and crises are multiplying, which also reduces the capacity of host communities, which IOM also supports.
Specifically, it was decided to end numerous projects, a measure that has meant the disappearance of some 6,000 jobs linked to local organizations with which IOM collaborates in the field, while it has reduced its own workforce by 20% (more than 250 jobs).
The current difficulties are also reflected in the funding request that it has just presented to fulfill its mission in 2026, a year in which it plans to provide assistance to 41 million migrants and displaced persons, a task for which it requires 4.7 billion dollars.
This plan represents a downward adjustment for the organization, which a year ago was calling for funds of $8.2 billion to reach 101 million beneficiaries, a plan that due to the wave of cuts to aid and international cooperation by President Donald Trump has not been able to be fulfilled.
Faced with this reality, priorities have been reformulated and the two main ones are now saving lives and protecting people on the move; as well as offering solutions to displacement due to climate reasons (disasters or environmental degradation).
IOM emphasizes that the majority of migratory movements are carried out safely and regularly, and that each journey is different, although if there is a common goal it is that they should always take place in safe conditions, which does not occur on irregular migration routes.
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Of these, the Mediterranean route is one of the deadliest, with more than 33,000 deaths recorded since 2014, when a database that collects these cases began to operate.
In the migratory landscape, it cannot be ignored that the income earned by immigrants supports millions of families in their countries of origin.
In total,
migrants sent $905 billion in international remittances in 2024, most of which went to low- and middle-income countries, and where in many cases they exceed the volume of foreign aid and investment flows.
Day dedicated to migrants in Libya
The head of IOM decided to spend this day dedicated to migrants in Libya, where there is a very complex migratory situation as it is a transit country for irregular migration from Africa to Europe.
Unfortunately, in this attempt, thousands have fallen in more than a decade into the hands of human trafficking networks, they have no legal status, are exposed to serious abuse or are detained in inhumane conditions, without a State capable of protecting them.
Since 2014, migrants who have disappeared or died worldwide total at least 73,000.
