On Monday, the International Organization for Migration joined the United Nations as a related organization. If you thought it was already part of the U.N. system, you’re not alone.
The IOM has seen its profile rise in recent years as migration has become a full-on megatrend. In the world, 1 in 7 people are migrants, with the surge of forced displacement casting a dark shadow over the reality of a world on the move. More people today are displaced from their homes — 65 million — than ever before in history.
Amid the attention focused on migrants and refugees in this United Nations General Assembly, the IOM finalized its association agreement with the U.N. Devex squeezed into an elevator with IOM Secretary General William Lacy Swing, for an up close and personal interview on the sidelines of the U.N. Summit on Migrants and Refugees in New York.