The International Organizations for Migration’s (IOM) roots can be traced to 1951 when it was first known as the ‘Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movements of Migrants from Europe’. Created with a temporal mandate to aid emigration from post-war Europe, the organisation has sustained by substantiating its relevance to the complex migration demands of the evolving world. IOM now stands as a UN related organisation with 175 member states and is acclaimed as a leading UN agency in the field of migration.
Recently, Amy Pope was appointed as the Director General (DG) of IOM. As a former Migration Advisor to two US Presidents, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, the new DG’s vision for IOM is clear. Advocating for the safe and legal migration pathways is one of her top priorities. In this short piece, I raise three points to propose why Amy Pope’s plea for a safe and legal pathway is paramount.
I. Humanity has always been on the move
With the invention and commercialisation of aeroplanes, arduous journeys that would take weeks can now be made in hours. Messages to families and friends can be delivered in nanoseconds with technological advancements. The globalised world we live in is characterised by the speed of travel, communication and migration. Consequently, metaphors of ‘flow’ are increasingly used in popular discourses to describe international migration.
However, migration is not a recent phenomenon ‘enabled’ by globalisation. Predating the globalisation era, the silk road extended from China’s Xi’an to Anatolia in Eastern Europe and was predominantly used from 130 BC until well into the 15th century. The road stretched 4000 miles and served as more than a geographical strip. Borders in this strip were porous and the road served as conduits of commerce and cultural exchanges. People moved along the silk route for trade, pilgrimage and cultural exploration. They walked, they rode horses, and sailed boats to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe.
Historically, many people have dreamt of migrating to move forward in life, earn, learn, worship, and explore new opportunities. Come to think of it, such dreams are only human. Considered this way, the fight for safe and legal pathway follows a long historical trajectory. Appreciating the historicity of migration is the first step to recognise that migration is not atypical and a ‘modern problem’.
II. Restrictive migration policies have dangerous repercussions
In recent years, visa regimes and bordering practices have been tools that slow down the migration, thereby existing to usurp the migration dream. However, migration restrictions seldom decrease migration, instead they push migrants into more perilous and oppressive conditions.
The news of the ‘deadly’ clandestine journeys on boats, of corpses covering the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea and bodies decaying in deserts due to failed migration attempts are frequently advertised in popular discourse. Furthermore, we hear of migrant illegality, 70% of which comprise visa overstayers, and not clandestine migrants as normatively imagined.
Human smugglers are often blamed for the violence enacted in migration transits. It is seldom asked why the would-be migrants pay exorbitant amounts to brokers knowing full well the dangers in migration journeys. This happens when there are no safe and legal pathways to move and dream of the future with better and new opportunities.
III. Migration Myth
It is often assumed that open migration doors means that all humans will rush for entry. This logic operates with a sedentary bias, which refers to the assumption that all humans fundamentally wish to migrate. For some physical proximity to their families, cultural celebrations, and local attractions, holds higher value. As such, staying put remains a rational and a rewarding decision.
Safe and legal pathways will not vacate the global south. In fact, studies show that a more lenient and fairer immigration system promotes brain circulation – people moving back to their countries of heritage.
The new DG’s priorities are clear, and they are critical. IOM as an organisation has historically sought to absolve complex migration challenges. Safe and legal pathways cannot be more pertinent in today’s world. IOM workforce must continue to combine forces to fight for the basic humanity, safety and security of migrants – the groups they seek to serve.