IOM Marks 60 Years of Service to Refugees and Other Migrants

Refugee advocates around the world are commemorating the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on Refugees in 2011. The Convention, passed in 1951, established an internationally recognized definition of a refugee and bound participating nations to provide for their protection, a process which led to the creation of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The Convention was also the origin of the International Organization for Migration, a global entity which, among many other functions, facilitates the movement of refugees out of danger. In this capacity, IOM plays a key role in the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program, working with EMM and other resettlement agencies to shepherd refugees to safety.

Michelle Klein Solomon is IOM's Permanent Observer to the United Nations. She spoke with us about IOM's 60th Anniversary and the organization's partnership with resettlement agencies like EMM.

EMM: Can you give an overview of how IOM came into being?

Solomon: The organization was created in 1951. Originally IOM and UNHCR were the same organization; they were recast a year later, UNHCR with a focus on protection and IOM as the operational entity. The original mandate was to move people out of displacement camps after the Second World War. There were 16 member states in 1951, and there are 132 states today, along with 90 non-governmental organizations.

I think this is a reflection that governments recognize that human mobility affects basically every country in the world. They also recognize that they need the assistance of an international organization to help them.

EMM: How have the global outlook for refugees and the process of refugee resettlement changed over the course of IOM's 60 years?

Solomon: Resettlement is now understood to be a more permanent durable solution. [UNHCR] used to call resettlement a last resort. And now their discourse has changed and they realize that resettlement can be the best option in very protracted situations.

It’s been such a revolution in terms of who is resettled. For a long time, it was seen in a Cold War, superpower division of the world. Now, you see refugee resettlement from all parts of the world. There’s also really not an organizing principle that’s creating refugees today. This means that the refugees that are resettled have different life experiences and different needs.

EMM: What’s IOM’s role within the resettlement process that helps refugees come to the United States?

Solomon: IOM works with refugees on the front end, everything from helping prepare applicants to fill out their documents to – when people are recognized as refugees – preparing them to be travel ready. We also provide cultural orientation, language training, skills trainings and other services.

I was [at an IOM site] recently in Nepal, and one part of the room was organized like the cabin of an airplane. We walk the refugees through the experience of being in an airport, showing what’s expected in a particular culture and what they can expect to see when they get there. It’s the basic elements of getting into a life.

We also organize the transport, including escorting refugees to travel. We have people in all the ports of entry in the U.S.: JFK, Newark, O’Hare, LAX and Miami. We accompany them on their journey to reduce the stress associated with these changes. And that’s where [EMM] comes in; you’re the people that have a role in making them feel welcome and helping them with the things they need to get on their feet.

That’s a partnership that’s critical. We have different roles, but they’re really interlinking. It’s much bigger than any one agency, any one entity. It’s necessary to be bigger than just one group.

For more information on IOM and its 60th Anniversary, visit 60years.iom.int.

EMM and Fellow Refugee Advocates to Host Capitol Hill Commemoration

On Wednesday, June 22, EMM will join with partner organizations that serve the needs and interests of refugees and other displaced people in hosting a World Refugee Day reception and photo exhibition on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

The event will honor employers, lawyers, doctors, faith leaders, case workers, social service providers, volunteers and other Americans who assist refugees in their communities.

The reception, scheduled from 5-7 p.m., will feature guest speakers from around the United States who have extended a hand to people uprooted by persecution in other parts of the world; refugee champions in Congress are expected to attend.

Photos on display will highlight refugees assisted by EMM and other resettlement agencies along with the new neighbors that welcome them.

The photo exhibit will be available for public viewing June 20-21 in the Rayburn House Office Building Foyer from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on June 22. The Rayburn Building is located at Independence Avenue and South Capitol Street.

The event is being co-sponsored by EMM, the Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations, Amnesty International, Human Rights First, the International Rescue Committee, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, and the Women's Refugee Commission.

The extraordinary experience of Dawit Dabulo, an Ethiopian client at Refugee Immigration Ministry in Malden, Massachusetts, was shared in a story published on the Boston Globe website.

The Minnesota Council of Churches , EMM's Twin Cities affiliate, is publishing a book about their refugee clients and the struggles and resiliency that defined their journies to the U.S.  MinnPost, profiled the project on its website.

Sinisa Milovanovic and Darci Asche from EMM affiliate Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota were interviewed for an extended segment on Prairie Public Radio, and they gave a great overview of resettlement in North Dakota and elsewhere.

The Knoxville News Sentinel published a story about Bridge Refugee Services, Inc. and the school impact program they'll be administering to assist refugee youth adjust to American schools.

Interfaith Refugee Ministry in New Bern, North Carolina, caught the attention of the New Bern Sun Journal with an event introducing refugees and their cultures to the local community.

A group of high school students in Buffalo earned some acclaim from a local television station for their work setting up apartments for refugee clients through Journey's End Refugee Services.

As of March 31, 2011, EMM affiliates had assisted 1,779 refugees since the start of the fiscal year on October 1, 2010. This work is carried out with the support of parishes and community volunteers across many dioceses of our church. Those refugees have come from the following regions:

Europe: 10 refugees  

Africa: 163 refugees 

Near East and South Asia: 991 refugees  

East Asia: 528 refugees  

Latin America: 87 refugees  

This newsletter is produced with support from the United States Department of State. Opinions expressed here may not reflect the positions of the Department of State or the Episcopal Church of the USA.