United States - USAIM for IOM, the United States based non-profit partner of IOM, the UN Migration Agency, convened on 21 April, its first board meeting of the year during which two new members, Tolu Olubunmi and Gregoire Goodstein, were welcomed.

Olubunmi, was recognized by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as one of 15 Women Changing the World in 2015. Born in Nigeria and a US resident, she is the co-founder of Welcome.us and Immigrant Heritage Month. She also currently serves on WEF’s Global Agenda Council on Migration and co-chairs the Mobile Minds Project.

Goodstein is Head of IOM’s Donor Relations Division based in Geneva. Previously, he was Chief of Mission in IOM’s missions in Haiti, Serbia and Croatia.

“Globally, progress on migration policies that allow for the free movement of people has stalled as business, government, and civil society continue to struggle to find a balance between the need for skilled labor, preserving national interests, and protecting the rights of workers. I am honored to support the decades-long work of USAIM for IOM and offer my unique perspective as a migrant in encouraging more inclusive and diverse societies,” said Olubunmi.

In addition, the board of directors agreed to pursue their efforts to increase its number of women and migrants from the civil society and the private sector.

“We have the strong conviction that we have to listen more to those we serve in order to increase the impact of our work. This means listening to the migrants while also ensuring there is a gender-balanced representation around the table,” said Luca Dall’Oglio, CEO of USAIM for IOM.

Dall’Oglio also introduced new projects that USAIM for IOM will be supporting such as the production of a pilot podcast series, telling the moving story of an 18-year-old Iraqi from Bagdad to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The pilot podcast series will be produced in close collaboration with IOM’s Media and Communications Division based in Geneva. 

The board meeting was attended by IOM’s Deputy Director General, Laura Thompson. The next meeting will take place in October 2017.

Visit USAIM for IOM’s website: www.usaim.org

For further information, please contact Hajer Naili at USAIM for IOM, Tel: +1 202 568 3757, Email: hnaili@iom.int