The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is implementing essential structural adjustments at its Geneva headquarters and globally to align with the unavoidable financial realities following an unprecedented 30 per cent reduction in estimated donor funding for the year, including a major decrease in U.S. funded projects worldwide.  

The reduction in funding has severe impacts on vulnerable migrant communities, exacerbating humanitarian crises and undermining vital support systems for displaced populations. Further, this adjustment includes scaling back or ending projects affecting over 6,000 staff members worldwide and implementing a structural realignment at headquarters, reducing headquarters staffing by approximately 20 per cent (more than 250 staff). 

These measures aim to ensure that IOM can continue delivering lifesaving humanitarian assistance to migrants and vulnerable communities worldwide, driving solutions for displaced populations, and supporting governments around the world in managing migration for the benefit of societies and migrants.  

IOM operates under a project-based funding model, established by its Member States, which allows for flexibility, agility, and responsiveness to global humanitarian needs. When funding for specific projects ends, the impacts can be far-reaching, particularly for vulnerable communities who often have very few other options for support. Necessarily, the financial resources to support staffing at headquarters and in our country missions also ends.  

The Organization’s priority is to serve vulnerable populations worldwide despite the constrained funding environment. To deliver on this mission in the most efficient way possible, the Organization is moving positions into lower cost regional offices and country missions, streamlining staffing, and identifying opportunities to better coordinate our work with other humanitarian actors. These decisions have been communicated to our Member States and were built on the historic budget reform efforts passed by our Council in 2022.  We expect that these changes will save costs as well as enable us to extend greater support globally to provide essential humanitarian assistance in crises worldwide.  

These necessary adaptations will also enable the Organization to develop new funding, continue essential oversight and accountability, and streamline operations as IOM evolves to overcome current challenges and build on our proud history. Throughout this process, IOM has prioritized mitigating risks to both staff and operations by ensuring that reductions are applied strategically and in consultation with the leadership of the affected teams and that frontline assistance remains protected, while we work to strengthen long-term sustainability.   

We recognize the necessary impact these decisions will have on colleagues who have dedicated years to IOM’s mission, many of whom will lose their jobs. We deeply value the dedication and service of our staff, past and present, who have worked tirelessly to support migrants and displaced communities worldwide. We know that our staff share our commitment to serving some of the world’s most vulnerable populations around the globe at a critical moment in time. Quite simply, IOM staff represent the best of public service. We are deeply sorry to lose them. 

At a time when conflict, climate-induced disasters, and economic instability are driving record levels of displacement, migration is not a peripheral issue, it is central to global security, stability, and sustainable development. The world is witnessing historic displacement levels, yet funding to address the root causes of displacement is shrinking. 

The international community must not sideline migration governance. Addressing forced displacement, climate-induced disasters, and mobility is not only a humanitarian imperative but also essential to future global stability.   

Despite these challenges, IOM remains committed to its mission and to ensuring that migration and displacement remain at the center of global policy discussions. The world cannot afford to look away as needs grow and resources diminish.   

 IOM will continue working closely with Member States, donors and partners to sustain essential humanitarian operations, advocate for long-term solutions, and ensure that migration remains a priority in the global response to today’s crises.   

The Nigerien army has rescued 50 migrants, including 20 women and 12 children, in distress in the northern Niger desert near the Libyan border. The migrants received emergency medical care after being evacuated to a scarce water source in the area.

Fifty migrants “in distress” were rescued over the weekend in the desert north of Niger near the Libyan border, a crossing point on the road to Europe, the Nigerien army announced Sunday.

Les 50 migrants dont 20 femmes et 12 enfants, étaient «en détresse sous des conditions climatiques extrêmes» lorsque le véhicule qui les transportait est tombé en panne, vendredi, a précisé l’armée dans son dernier bulletin des opérations. C’est un détachement de la Brigade d’intervention rapide des militaires qui leur a «porté secours» dans la zone nigérienne de Djado, à environ 200km de la frontière libyenne, a-t-elle indiqué. Les migrants ont reçu les «soins d’urgence» après leur évacuation vers le «puits de l’espoir», un point d’eau rarissime dans cette région où les voyageurs et des milliers de migrants font souvent escale dans leur périlleuse traversée du désert. L’armée ne précise pas les nationalités des 50 personnes, qui se dirigeaient vers la Libye.

The 50 migrants, including 20 women and 12 children, were “in distress under extreme weather conditions” when the vehicle transporting them broke down on Friday, the army said in its latest operations bulletin. A detachment from the military’s Rapid Intervention Brigade “rescued” them in the Nigerien region of Djado, about 200km from the Libyan border, it said. The migrants received “emergency care” after being evacuated to the “well of hope,” a rare water source in this region where travelers and thousands of migrants often stop over during their perilous desert crossing. The army did not specify the nationalities of the 50 people, who were heading towards Libya.

In 2024, more than 31,000 migrants were expelled from Algeria to neighboring Niger, according to the Nigerien NGO Alarme Phone Sahara (APS), which cited a record figure. In January 2025, 770 Nigerien migrants, including around sixty children, were expelled from Libya, the army reported. They were escorted by a military escort on the Niger side, and their reception was coordinated by the army and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). In November 2023, Niger’s new military regime, which came to power in a coup a few months earlier, repealed a 2015 law criminalizing migrant smuggling.

Since then, “many people have been moving freely” along the migration routes “without fear of the reprisals” they previously faced, according to APS. The NGO regularly denounces the “violent” and even “fatal” treatment of West African migrants during pushback operations carried out by Algeria and Libya towards Niger.

Copied and translated from https://www.blick.ch/fr/monde

Amid a sharp increase in southbound migration, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General Amy Pope visited Guatemala this week to reaffirm IOM’s commitment to supporting people caught in crisis, providing life-saving humanitarian assistance, and advancing sustainable solutions that ensure people can build a future back home.

During this first official visit to Guatemala, DG Pope met with President Bernardo Arévalo and Vice President Karin Herrera to discuss migration management, regional cooperation, and support for Guatemalan returnees in line with the Guatemalan government’s National Return Home Plan (Plan Retorno al Hogar). These discussions underscored the critical role of coordinated efforts in addressing migration challenges and ensuring returning migrants receive the assistance they need to reintegrate with dignity.

“More people are returning home, often under incredibly difficult circumstances,” said DG Pope. “IOM is committed to ensuring that return is safe and dignified while strengthening the conditions that allow people to build a future where they are. That’s why IOM is working closely with the Guatemalan government and other partners to make sure that returning home isn’t just a moment—it’s the start of something better.”

In recent weeks, southbound migration has surged, with 65% of migrants recorded on irregular routes in Guatemala traveling south. Many face extreme hardship, requiring urgent humanitarian assistance, reintegration support, and safe return options. IOM’s Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) programs are playing a critical role in supporting this shift, facilitating safe returns from key transit points and responding to emerging migration routes through the Guna Yala territory.

Through partnerships with governments, donors, and the private sector, IOM remains committed to meeting the urgent needs of people on the move while advancing long-term solutions that address the root causes of migration and promote stability.