IOM hails Qatar's support for its programmes and projects

HE the Chief of Mission of UN International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Qatar, Iman Younis Ereiqat, has praised Qatar's support for IOM programmes and projects. She also lauded the labour reforms taken by the State to enhance the rights of migrant workers, stressing that the efforts made by the Qatari government, represented by the Ministry of Labour, to promote the rights of expatriate workers are a real achievement.In an interview with Arrayah newspaper yesterday, Ereiqat said Qatar plays a large and unlimited role in supporting the IOM projects in countries that suffer from conflicts and poverty.She said that through the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD), the State funds projects to support Syrian refugees in Lebanon, northern Syria and Turkey, adding that civil society institutions also play an active role in supporting the efforts of IOM in these countries. Qatar Charity funds programmes in Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, some Balkan countries, Bangladesh and others.Ereiqat pointed out that Qatar was the first country in the Arab region to grant expatriate workers the right to move from one employer to another without the consent of the primary employer and introducing a minimum wage which constitutes an important step to protect the right of workers to a fair wage. She welcomed Qatar's endeavours to continue with these reforms, which are directly in the interest of all parties.Ereiqat said the Arab region is witnessing various migration flows, as the region includes countries of origin, transit and destination.In this regard, she said, the year 2020 witnessed the Arab region hosting 41.4mn immigrants and refugees, while the number of immigrants from Arab countries reached 32.8mn people, almost half of whom stayed within the region. In addition, about 3.7mn refugees registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reside in Arab countries.Also the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East reports that there are 5.5mn Palestinian refugees in the area.She pointed out that a large number of migrants come to the region in search of job opportunities and better living conditions, noting the GCC countries are the largest host for migrant workers in addition to Jordan and Lebanon, where the number of migrant workers in 2019 reached an estimated 35mn."Nearly two years after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, a combination of convergent crises, high levels of extreme poverty, political instability, conflicts, disasters and food insecurity, has pushed humanitarian needs to new levels and increased the ongoing humanitarian crises," she added.She stressed that the situation constituted a major challenge for IOM as it involved providing necessary support to the internally displaced, and to work with governments to provide a safe environment for them, in addition to working with internally and externally displaced persons directly to provide their necessary needs.Ereiqat referred to the role of IOM in countries that host migrants fleeing conflict areas, whether they are refugees, asylum seekers, or migrants, in order to provide them with support. It also works to support host governments to enable them to play their role in protecting the rights of these migrants.Regarding the programmes and projects of IOM to serve the issues of migrants around the world, Ereiqat explained that the organisation works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international co-operation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced persons.She indicated that IOM works in the four broad areas of migration management. These are: migration and development, migration facilitation, migration regulation, and forced migration, in addition to capacity-building programmes that it implements jointly with governments, which aims to strengthen government efforts to ensure the protection of migrants' rights.The organisation is also implementing projects aimed at providing direct support to vulnerable migrants, in addition to voluntary return programmes aimed at ensuring the dignity of migrants going through irregular conditions in host countries, and resettlement programmes for those displaced from their homes due to conflicts, she said. Ereiqat added that IOM also works to support the health aspect of migrants, especially in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. It makes great efforts to ensure the support of health institutions in poor countries in order to guarantee the provision of necessary healthcare to migrants. The IOM also works to strengthen the capabilities of health institutions to play their role in providing the necessary medical services to migrants, she said.With regard to the global response to addressing the issue of forced migration and the obstacles to reaching a fundamental solution to this global problem, Ereiqat said it is not possible to say that a solution to the problem of forced migration can be reached.There are several reasons that push individuals to leave their places of residence for other places. These are caused by natural disasters, armed conflicts, or economic reasons, she pointed out."Therefore, as an international organisation concerned with the affairs of migrants around the world, we are fully aware of the challenges facing them and we are working together with all partners to find solutions, even if temporary, in order to support these migrants directly," she stated.The IOM was founded in 1951 out of the chaos and displacement in Western Europe after World War II.First known as the Interim Intergovernmental Committee on the Movement of Migrants from Europe and tasked with helping European governments identify resettlement countries for an estimated 11mn people uprooted by war, the IOM arranged relocation for nearly a million migrants during the 1950s.With 174 member states, eight other countries having observer status, offices and a presence in more than 150 countries, employing more than 16,000 employees, the IOM is dedicated to promoting human and orderly migration for the benefit of all.