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IOM members endorse action to join UN as specialized organization

Xinhua, July 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said here on Friday during a press briefing its members had agreed the IOM should join the United Nations (UN) as a related organization.

After being submitted to the UN General Assembly for approval, the decision is expected to enter into force on Sept. 19 during a UN summit on migrants and refugees.

"Today has been a watershed moment in the life of this organization, which is celebrating its 65th year," IOM Director General William Lacy Swing was cited as saying at a press briefing.

"We expect to soon have a seat and a voice at the UN table and the UN will soon have a dedicated migration agency," he added.

IOM was created in 1951 out of the chaos and displacement of western Europe following the Second World War.

From its roots as an operational logistics agency, it has broadened its scope to become the leading international agency working with the governments and civil society to advance the understanding of migration issues, encourage social and economic development through migration, and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. Endit