The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam became IOM's 122nd member state
at its bi-annual Council meeting in Geneva today.

Viet Nam's decision to apply for full IOM membership follows 20
years of cooperation with IOM and the establishment of IOM offices
in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The country was previously an
observer state. 

IOM already works closely with Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Ministry
of Transport, Ministry of Public Security and the Viet Nam Women's
Union.

IOM projects in Viet Nam currently focus on migrant and mobile
populations and address safe migration and mobility, including
counter-trafficking, labour migration, public health and social
services, and access to information.

According to IOM Vietnam Chief of Mission Andy Bruce, Vietnamese
membership of IOM indicates a growing recognition on the part of
the government of the importance of migration and the need to
manage it through international cooperation. Vietnam also recently
joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) and became a
non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

IOM membership also holds out the possibility of additional
benefits in the areas of technical cooperation, access to seed
funding only available to member states, and a higher political
profile in global migration fora, he notes.

For more information please contact:

Patrick Corcoran

IOM Vietnam

Tel: +84.8822 2057 ext 123

E-mail:  "mailto:pcorcoran@iom.int" target="_blank" title=
"">pcorcoran@iom.int