Geneva - IOM, the UN Migration Agency, is appealing for nearly USD 1.4 billion to address the needs of over 80 million people in 50 countries in 2018. These vital funds will support people displaced within the borders of their own countries, migrants, refugees and the communities that host them, people returning to their areas of origin and people experiencing or recovering from conflict and natural disasters.

“The world is experiencing more complex emergencies than ever before, with millions of men, women and children struggling to survive,” said Mohammed Abdiker, IOM Director of Operations and Emergencies, from the Organization’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. “In terms of internal displacement alone, due to conflict and natural disasters, over 31 million people were newly displaced in 2016 adding to the millions already living in long-term protracted displacement.”

This appeal covers planned activities in crisis prevention and preparedness, emergency response, transition and recovery.

“IOM’s humanitarian programming aims not only to save lives but to help affected communities stabilize, build resilience and find solutions. The long-term impact of our responses is of paramount importance. Whether displaced by drought in Somalia, returning home to a recently liberated neighbourhood in Mosul or a member of the local community in Cox’s Bazar, where over 800,000 Rohingya refugees have settled, millions of people are in need not only of emergency assistance and protection but of innovative support that helps them get back on their feet, more resilient than they were before. This is IOM’s goal for 2018,” said Abdiker.

Information on IOM’s funding needs can be found online in the Humanitarian Compendium.

The planned areas of support include: Shelter and Non-Food Items; Activities to Promote Solutions to displacement, Support Community Stabilization and Transition; Camp Management and Displacement Tracking; Health Support; (Re)integration assistance; Humanitarian Communication; prevention efforts around Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience Building; Psychosocial Support; Counter-Trafficking and Protection of Vulnerable Migrants; Technical Assistance for Humanitarian Border Management; Housing, Land and Property Support; Transport Assistance to Affected Populations; Migration Policy and Legislation Support; Diaspora and Human Resources Mobilization; and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).

The countries covered include: Afghanistan, Angola, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Federated States of Micronesia, Georgia, Guinea, Haiti, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Madagascar, Mauritania, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

Most of IOM’s funding needs are coordinated either under the country-specific inter-agency Humanitarian Response Plans or Regional Refugee Response Plans. IOM’s humanitarian funding requirements may change throughout 2018 as the settings in which the Organization works change.

In 2017, IOM humanitarian programming amounted to USD 1.1 billion.

IOM’s overall programme and budget can be accessed here.

For more information, please contact Olivia Headon at IOM HQ, Tel: +41794035365 Email: oheadon@iom.int