The United States government has announced a contribution of USD
2.5 million to the International Organization for Migration's newly
established Migration Emergency Funding Mechanism (MEFM).

Ambassador Betty E. King, US Permanent Representative to the
United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva,
confirmed the voluntary contribution in a March 1, 2012 letter to
IOM Director General Ambassador William Lacy Swing.

The USD 2.5 million contribution by the United States is the
first to be received by the new emergency fund. Recent major
emergencies such as the evacuations from Libya, Cote d'Ivoire and
Yemen – where IOM played an essential life-saving role
– have highlighted the importance of funding for rapid
response and intervention.

"These funds will help IOM to save lives and mitigate suffering
by allowing it to respond rapidly in the critical, early stages of
an emergency," said Ambassador King.

"The United States supported the creation of the MEFM and is
convinced that this new mechanism is an important contribution to
the system of humanitarian response. Migration crises can develop
literally overnight, and in the past IOM had no option but to await
financial commitments by donors. We all witnessed the essential
role IOM played in Libya last year, when it helped evacuate over
230,000 people, by land and air from Sebha and by boat from
Misrata."

The new funding mechanism was established by the IOM Council in
December 2011 to reinforce IOM's operational and emergency response
capacity by providing the Organization with funds to bridge the gap
between the period when an emergency occurs and when donor funding
is received. The aim is to enable early assessment of situations on
the ground and very short response times for providing the initial
required assistance.

"As the first contribution to this new migrant emergency funding
facility, the US voluntary contribution is particularly timely,"
said IOM Director General Swing. "We hope that this initiative will
serve as an encouragement to us all to bring the facility to full
capacity."

The mechanism will be primarily used to cover the cost of
international transport for migrants affected by emergencies. It
will also cover any arrangements in the place of origin, departure,
transit or arrival to prepare for or support their travel,
including any necessary transport to the international departure
point and other related out-of-pocket costs, as well as the staff
and office capacity to support these activities.

For more information please contact:

Jean-Philippe Chauzy

IOM Geneva

Tel: +41 22 717 93 61

Mobile: +41 79 285 43 66

E-mail: "jpchauzy@iom.int">jpchauzy@iom.int