Yemen - A status agreement was signed on Thursday (14/11/2013), in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a between IOM and the Republic of Yemen  granting IOM in Yemen full  privileges and immunities allotted to UN agencies working in the country. 

IOM’s Deputy-Director, Ambassador Laura Thompson and Yemen’s Vice Foreign Minister Ali Muthana Hassan signed the agreement which entered into force with immediate effect, complementing earlier agreements signed by the government of Yemen.

The signing of the agreement took place at the end of a three-day regional conference on asylum and migration from the Horn of Africa (HOA) to Yemen, also conducted in Sana’a.  

The conference called for urgent regional and international action to manage mixed migration from HOA to Yemen by boosting support for the countries of origin and the host nation.

Each year, thousands of Ethiopians, Somalis and others make a journey across the treacherous Gulf of Aden waterway, resulting in hundreds of abuses by trafficking rings and fatalities. They head to Yemen which they use as a gateway to reach the Gulf countries and beyond, fleeing from persecution or seeking better opportunities.

IOM presence in Yemen started in 1994 when the Organization assisted in evacuating refugees and third country nations during the civil war, and established its permanent offices in Sana’a in 2007. The Organization is providing voluntary return assistance to vulnerable migrants, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and affected communities.

The Republic of Yemen has been a member of IOM since 1999.

For more information, please contact

Nicoletta  Giordano
IOM Yemen
Tel+ 967 1410 568
Email: ngiordano@iom.int