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| New IOM Director General Amy Pope. (Source: FBC) |
New IOM Director General Amy Pope began a three-country tour of Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti, on October 8 to highlight the issue of migration on the continent.
Ms. Amy Pope will meet with leaders and government officials in the above countries, discussing measures to enhance IOM's cooperation in promoting safe migration as well as addressing migration challenges, including migration due to climate change.
In the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the new IOM Director General is expected to discuss with African Union (AU) officials how best to ensure the movement of people, especially supporting free trade agreements promoted by the organization.
Former White House Counselor Amy Pope is the first woman to serve as IOM Director General. She takes over from her predecessor, António Vitorino of Portugal, who began a five-year term as IOM’s 11th Director General on October 1, at a time of record numbers of displaced people around the world and heightened political tensions over irregular migration.
Prior to the election of a new IOM leadership in June, Ms. Pope was IOM’s Deputy Director General for Management and Reform. In that capacity, she implemented a range of budgetary, management and administrative reforms to optimize IOM’s field operations and risk management, improve internal justice outcomes and operational performance, and enhance coordination with the United Nations system.
Prior to joining IOM, Ms. Pope served as Senior Migration Adviser to US President Biden in the early days of his inauguration in 2021. She served as Deputy Homeland Security Adviser to President Barack Obama.
While at the White House, Pope developed and implemented comprehensive strategies to address migration, in areas such as combating human trafficking, resettling refugees and vulnerable people, and preparing communities to respond to and adapt to climate-related crises.
After his trip to Africa, the new IOM Director General is expected to travel to Brussels to meet senior European officials to seek an agreement to tackle irregular migration.
Established in 1951, IOM is the leading intergovernmental organization promoting safe, humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. IOM has offices in 171 countries worldwide and nearly 19,000 staff.
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