New IOM Director General kicks off Africa tour

Ethiopia is Amy Pope's first destination as Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

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 have meetings 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 Ethiopia's 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 in support of free trade agreements promoted by the organization.

Amy Pope, a former White House adviser, 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 series of budgetary, management, and administrative reforms to optimize IOM’s field operations and risk management, improve internal justice outcomes and operational performance, and strengthen coordination with the United Nations system.

Prior to joining IOM, Ms. Pope served as Senior Migration Advisor to US President Biden in the early days of his inauguration in 2021. She served as Deputy Homeland Security Advisor to President Barack Obama.

While at the White House, Ms. 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.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tan-tong-giam-doc-iom-khoi-dong-chuyen-cong-du-chau-phi-245344.html