Prevent further loss of life of migrants and support families left behind

IOM will work to prevent further loss of life of migrants and support families left behind by supporting governments’ capacity to uphold their legal obligations to conduct search and rescue operations, and safe disembarkation procedures in line with international law. IOM will support the capacity of governments to combat transnational criminal networks of smuggling and trafficking. IOM will collect data on global estimates of migrants affected by humanitarian crisis and support relevant stakeholders to include migrants in emergency preparedness, response and recovery plans by building on the Guidelines to Protect Migrants in Countries Experiencing Conflict and Natural Disasters. IOM commits to document deaths and disappearances during migration and support States’ capacity to collect robust, internationally comparable data on migrant deaths and disappearances. IOM will continue to advocate for safe and regular migration pathways with the aim of preventing migrant deaths or migrants going missing, including supporting the strengthening and replication of good practices among States where possible.

LAST UPDATED: 4/JUL/23

IOM will support the capacity of governments to combat transnational criminal networks ofsmuggling and trafficking. 

• Counter human trafficking: IOM provided capacity development support to help countries establish and enhance referral mechanisms for trafficked persons and trained a variety offrontline practitioners, including social services, healthcare providers, humanitarian workers, border police personnel, criminal justice chain practitioners, and other stakeholders. For example, in Thailand, Ethiopia, Lesotho and Mozambique, IOM has supported the governments in developing national referral mechanisms, in Moldova, IOM trained some 400 border police personnel, and in Bangladesh – some 200 Cox’s Bazar local police on victim identification and referral. 

• INTERPOL: IOM works with INTERPOL on training and capacity development on smuggling and trafficking at pre-operation stages and victim assistance during INTERPOL led operations. This work supports national counterparts in understanding a victim’s centered approach. IOM also participates in evaluations or lessons learned sessions led by Interpol (WEKA II (“Stop” in Swahili) in 2022, Turquesa III in 2022, Storm Makers in 2022). The programme curricula focus on: 
• Responding to needs of victims of violence, exploitation and abuse including trafficking 
• Takes a case management approach to its assistance 
• Based on Socio-Ecological model and integrated approach to reintegration (Migrant vulnerability model) 

IOM is also part of the partnership network within INTERPOL’s new initiative on enhanced child safeguarding in operations on crimes against children (the first working group meeting held in January 2023). 

• Counter smuggling of migrants: IOM provides support to Member States through capacity development and knowledge sharing, including delivering trainings, facilitating processes, and establishing procedures aimed at intercepting, investigating, disrupting, and prosecuting the crime. Throughout these efforts, IOM always ensured the notion that human rights, protection and assistance considerations should be fully integrated and mainstreamed once smuggled migrants are rescued or intercepted at borders. 
Capacity development has taken place both at national and transnational level; in the latter sphere, IOM has facilitated bilateral and multilateral cooperation amongst States to effectively intercept, disrupt, investigate, and prosecute entities involved in the smuggling ofmigrants, particularly looking into the exchange of non-sensitive information and/or data on the modus operandi of transnational organized crime known to be, or suspected of being, engaged in these activities. 
Furthermore, IOM has built synergies with the UN and civil society spheres by co-leading together with UNODC, the United Nations Network on Migration’s Workstream ‘Ensuring migrant protection through strengthened responses to migrant smuggling and increased coordination on its linkages with trafficking in persons.’ The overall objective of the Workstream is to support efforts to counter the smuggling of migrants through the provision of policy guidance, facilitation of information sharing, exchange of best practices and the promotion and facilitation of joint initiatives in this field. In addition, the Workstream looks into facilitating coordination with existing platforms, including those working on trafficking in persons and ICAT, among others, where there are intersections between the two phenomena, in order to optimize available resources and foster a comprehensive and coordinated approach. 

• IOM Global Case Management Guidelines: IOM finalized its Case Management Guidelines through the COMPASS programme funded by the Netherlands. IOM worked closely with UNHCR, UNICEF, UNODC and Save the Children. The Guidelines are intended mainly for individual, non-clinical case managers providing direct support and assistance to migrants with protection and assistance needs, including children. Recognizing that case management for children requires specialized training and different approaches, there is a separate section on child protection case management. The Guidelines may also be useful for government officials, health-care providers, law enforcement officers and those working for service providers in the field of migrant protection and assistance. The guidelines can be applied in countries of origin, transit and destination. 

•IOM will collect data on global estimates of migrants affected by humanitarian crisis. 

• Since May 2022, IOM developed a first-of-its kind range of global estimates of crisis-affected migrants (GECAM) to meet IOM policy and programmatic priorities and users’ data needs on migrants affected by humanitarian crises. The GECAM estimates for 2022 are based on OCHA, UNDESA and other timely crisis and migration data sources. To date, the GECAM workstream has generated a database with estimates, and various documents and tools outlining the methodology and explaining the estimates. 

•IOM support relevant stakeholders to include migrants in emergency preparedness, response and recovery plans by building on the Guidelines to Protect Migrants in Countries Experiencing Conflict and Natural Disasters. 

• In South-East Asia, IOM has been working with regional, national and local stakeholders in promoting a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach in understanding and incorporating the needs and specific vulnerabilities of migrants in crisis preparedness response and recovery plans in the protection of migrants. To operationalize the Migrants in Countries in Crisis Initiative, IOM’s interventions have primarily focused on working to strengthen the capacity of government officials at the regional, national and local level to understand the specific needs of migrants in the context of emergencies/crises and support the inclusion of migrants and their families in emergency preparedness, response and recovery plans at the national and local levels. In Southeast Asia these are some of the key activities that IOM has undertaken from March 2022 and onwards: 

o ASEAN: Given the vulnerability faced by migrants in times of crises and the limited avenues for them to seek support, as the Chair of ASEAN for 2023, the Government ofIndonesia has identified the protection of migrant workers are as its top priority, and has requested support from IOM and ILO to develop the following: 
1. Declaration on Protection of Migrant Workers in Crisis Situations 
2. Declaration on the Protection of Migrant Workers Onboard Fishing Vessels 
3. Guideline on the Protection of Migrants Workers in Crisis Situations 

o Indonesia: Building upon the ongoing initiative at the regional level on the development ofthe ASEAN Declaration and Guidelines on the Protection of Migrant Workers in Crisis Situations, IOM is working with the Government of Indonesia through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to operationalize the guidelines by contextualizing and piloting Migrants in Countries in Crisis trainings tailored to the situation on the ground and the needs of Indonesian consular officials, labor attachés, and diplomats to enhance protection and assistance to Indonesian migrant workers and citizens abroad, especially in crisis situations. 

o Thailand: working with the Royal Thai Government, IOM has developed a guideline for the setup, operation and management of collective shelters (shelters used in times of natural disasters and crises) to ensure such shelters are accessible for both migrants, irrespective ofstatus, and host communities. Overtime IOM will continue to collaborate with the Royal Thai Government to institutionalize the Migrants in Countries in Crisis Initiative at the national and provincial level. 

o Myanmar: IOM is working with civil society stakeholders to enhance their understanding on supporting migrant workers (Myanmar nationals) who may be affected by crises while outside the country. IOM supports civil society stakeholders in understanding the specific vulnerabilities faced by migrants during crisis and how best they can be supported in coordination with countries of destination and origin. 

o Lao People’s Democratic Republic: IOM has been in discussion with Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the training of consular officials to support Lao nationals in countries of destination that are experiencing crises, as well has discussed and coordinated contingency planning development. 

o Cambodia: IOM developed, design and pilot, in close consultation with the Ministry ofForeign Affairs and building on the Migrants in Countries in Crisis e-learning course, a Consular service training course and e-learning platform for Cambodian consular officials, labour attaches and diplomats to respond to the increasing demand for assistance and protection by Cambodian migrant workers and citizens abroad. The Migrants in Countries in Crisis e-learning course was successfully embedded on the website of the Ministry ofForeign Affairs and International Cooperation and 25 laptops and headphones were donated to support access of government counterparts to this e-learning course. The consular, diplomatic staff and labour attaches can log in the link http://nidir.edu.kh/to access the course. 

o Egypt, upon request from the Ministry of Local Development, IOM helped build the capacity of general managers in crisis management units from different governorates, by delivering its second crisis response Training-of Trainer in Aswan in May 2022. 

•IOM commits to document deaths and disappearances during migration and support States’ capacity to collect robust, internationally comparable data on migrant deaths and disappearances. 

• Since May 2022, IOM has recorded the deaths of nearly 5,000 people during migration through its Missing Migrants Project, indicating that much work remains to be done to uphold GCM Objective 8. In 2022, IOM conducted more than 300 trainings on missing migrants to build the capacities of government actors in 37 countries across the Americas, Africa, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. 

•IOM will continue to advocate for safe and regular migration pathways with the aim ofpreventing migrant deaths or migrants going missing, including supporting the strengthening and replication of good practices among States where possible.   

• IOM worked with partners around the world to raise awareness of safe migration, including via regional multimedia campaigns such as IOM X, Somos Colmena, and Migrants as Messengers, as well as at the national level and local level. Furthermore, IOM was a partner in three international anti-trafficking operations conducted by Interpol to provide immediate assistance to identified victims and joined Interpol’s interagency initiative to strengthen child safeguarding in operations targeting crime against children.