INTERVIEW: Migration must be central to development agenda, says IOM chief

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Migration must be viewed as a core part of global development policy, not just a humanitarian response, says Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

“If we want to end irregular migration, development solutions are at the heart of it,” she told UN News on the sidelines of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, underway in Sevilla, Spain.

Ms. Pope emphasised that migration can be a driver of growth, especially through remittances and return migration.

“Our goal is to make governments think, talk, and act on migration as a tool for development,” she said.

Read on to learn how migration is shaping the development agenda – and what IOM wants governments to do about it.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

UN News/Matt Wells

Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), speaks with UN News at the FFD4 conference in Sevilla.

UN News: What is IOM doing at this conference, which is about financing for sustainable development?

Amy Pope: There are two angles for us at a conference like this. First, we are seeing more people on the move due to development-related challenges. Of course, some flee war, conflict or persecution, but increasingly people are migrating because of climate impacts, poverty, or a lack of opportunities. If we want to reduce irregular migration, development solutions are essential.

Second, migration can be a powerful driver – a catalyst – for development. It benefits the migrant, who gains access to income and opportunities – but it also boosts development in both the countries they come from and the ones they go to. The World Bank has done incredible research showing this.  

UN News: What do migrants themselves need from this conference – something practical that can improve lives without adding to host countries’ burdens?

Ms. Pope: There are a couple of places where I think there could be real improvements. First, we know remittances drive development in low- and middle-income countries – over $700 billion annually. Lowering transaction fees would ensure more of that money reaches families and communities, and working with local governments can help channel it into broader development goals.

Another area is return migration. When people return home after working abroad, they often bring skills, languages, and new knowledge. Ensuring this transfer benefits their communities is critical.

Another area is return migration – when people return home after working abroad, they often bring skills, languages, and new knowledge

UN News: Syria seems like a good example of that.

Ms. Pope: Absolutely. In Syria, many highly educated, highly skilled individuals left during the conflict. Their return will be crucial to rebuilding the country – in fields like construction, manufacturing, medicine, and education.  

So “marrying” the development and recovery objectives with the return objectives is essential for success.  

UN News: You mentioned that remittances are a huge benefit – migrants may send money back, but they also need support. How do you convince sceptical countries that say they can’t afford the costs?

Ms. Pope: Migration enables communities to do more – we see that globally. What we encourage governments to do is to create policies that enable and facilitate safe and legal migration Irregular migration leads to exploitation and underpayment – which also depresses wages for national workers.

It ultimately leads to a host of bills that no country can afford right now. So ultimately, this is not a question of what countries can afford, it should be what countries can do to improve outcomes for their own people. 

UN Women/Pornvit Visitoran

Women migrant workers at a ceramics factory in northern Thailand.

UN News: What concrete steps is IOM hoping to see from this conference?

Ms. Pope: First and foremost, we want migration to be part of the development conversation – not just seen as a humanitarian emergency. If someone is on a boat crossing the Mediterranean, heavily in debt to smugglers and unsure if they’ll survive the journey, we’ve completely failed.

Our goal is to make sure that we have governments thinking, talking, acting and using migration as a tool for development from the very beginning. Lowering remittance fees is one step. Diaspora bonds are another way to engage migrant communities in development financing. And we need to anticipate climate impacts so that people aren’t forced to move in desperation.

UN News: So finally, the migration issue in the United States is very thorny, it’s very political. What would you be saying to the US if they were here this week, which of course they are not.

Investing in development that is focusing on communities who are most likely to out-migrate is a much better investment than just investing at your border

Ms. Pope: I would say that investing in development that is focusing on communities who are most likely to out-migrate is a much better investment than just investing at your border.

Once somebody has paid a smuggler, come all the way up, gotten into the border, across the border and into the United States, it is far more expensive, far more labour-intensive, far more traumatic for the communities they’ve lived in and the migrant, him or herself.

Then it would be to come up with solutions where migrants are coming from or in the countries that they first go to. This is good value for money. It’s not just about better development outcomes.