The Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) H.E Mr William Lacy Swing met this week with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola to discuss ways Fiji could benefit from the organization.
The IOM is the leading international agency that works closely with governments and civil society to advance the understanding of migration issues, encourage social and economic development through migration, and uphold the human dignity and well-being.
At the meeting, Minister Kubuabola expressed Fiji’s enthusiasm at becoming a member of the IOM and that relevant processes are well on its way for Fiji to become a member.
Ambassador Swing expressed his gratitude over this and looked forward to Fiji’s membership. He also discussed the core functions of the IOM, which include amongst others, humanitarian emergencies, migration health, counter-trafficking, migrant training, migration and climate change, resettlement assistance, immigration and boarder management, labour migration, assisted voluntary return and reintegration, and migration policy and research.
Moreover Ambassador Swing said that the IOM conducts a number of capacity-building exercises which include country profiling on its diaspora communities and this would be a good venture for Fiji and the Pacific.
In response, Minister Kubuabola highlighted the plight of our Pacific low-lying islands challenged by the effects of climate change, and that IOM would be a platform to explore avenues to assist. With the many capacity building ventures organized by the IOM, Fiji and its Pacific neighbours would greatly benefit from.
The Minister also briefed Ambassador Swing on the Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) and suggested that this is something that the IOM could closely network with since migration and climate change are related issues which affect most Pacific Small Islands Developing States (PSIDS).
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