Abstract
When I first joined the staff of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1987, I was quickly informed by my new colleagues that the International Organization for Migration (IOM) was an agency that I need not take too seriously. Its budget and field presence were considerably smaller than those of our own agency. IOM was not a part of the United Nations (UN) system and was largely under the control of the United States (US) and its Western allies. It lacked a protection mandate and much of its work consisted of preparing and transporting refugees who had been selected for resettlement by UNHCR. It was, in a dismissive phrase regularly used by UNHCR staff at that time, ‘just a glorified travel agency’. Fast forward to 2021, and that scenario has changed out of all recognition. Over the past 30 years, IOM has grown considerably in size and...
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