By Carlotta Duken.
The New Year Reception of the InternationalOrganization for Migration (IOM) has become an important milestone on the diplomatic agenda in The Hague. IOM uses this annual event to share its experience and views and also call attention to the latest developments in migration affairs.
This year’s edition, held at the Carlton Ambassador Hotel in The Hague on 4 February, was dedicated to the European migrant crisis. With the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Europe growing exponentially, EU Member States are increasingly relying on the cooperation and support of international organizations such as IOM.
After a warm welcome from Martin Wyss, Chief of Mission of IOM Netherlands, the floor was taken by Eugenio Ambrosi, IOM’s Director of the Regional Office for the EU, Norway and Switzerland.
The Perfect Storm
In his speech, Mr Ambrosi placed the current migrant and refugee situation in the context of a “the Perfect Storm” of unprecedented geopolitical, demographic and humanitarian challenge which have grown both in scale and complexity. Mr Ambrosi called the audience’s attention to the fact that the vast majority of refugees are not received by the EU, but are in fact received by developing- or even least-developed countries, with hardly the capacity to manage the extraordinary pressure on their meagre resources.
North Africa, which used to be the most common point of departure for the refugee route, has now been overtaken by the Eastern, or Balkan Route. Such changes in the migration patterns are placing tremendous strain on the Schengen Agreement and the principle of shared responsibility between EU Member States.
There are issues requiring EU’s urgent action. Among these, Mr Ambrosi emphasized the particular importance of ongoing negotiations with Turkey; the fight against smuggling and trafficking; and the need for intervention at the root causes of migration such as extreme poverty and environmental degradation.
As a cornerstone in the management of migration in Europe, Mr Ambrosi praised the relocation program approved by the European Council in 2015 to initiate the re-distribution of eligible refugees and asylum seekers from Greece and Italy to other EU Members States. According to Mr Ambrosi, the success of this action depends to the greatest extent on the joint cooperation and unified action by all Member States.
IOM’s day-to-day work
Following Mr Ambrosi’s speech, IOM gave participants a glimpse into its day-to-day operations in the Netherlands. Mesdames Manon Zohlandt and Camilla Mevissen, representing IOM’s Movements Department at Schiphol Airport, presented their work through colorful moving pictures of migrants travelling under IOM’s auspices. IOM’s Schiphol team is assisting some 7,000-10,000 migrants annually. These are migrants arriving to the Netherlands under Family Reunification and Resettlement programmes; migrants leaving the Netherlands to return voluntarily to their countries of origin; or migrants in transit through Schiphol on their way to permanently resettle in their adoption country, in particular the United States, Canada and the Scandinavian countries.
The successful IOM evening was rounded off by a get-together and informal exchanges between guests. The reception was well attended by the diplomatic community and the Dutch Government: IOM welcomed over 60 representatives of embassies and consulates of 44 different countries, as well as Dutch officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Security and Justice, and the Advisory Committee on Migration Affairs (ACVZ).
Photography by IOM Netherlands.
