The International Organization for Migration (IOM) was established in the aftermath of World War II in response to the large numbers of people who were up rooted during the second world war. In 1951, participating governments at the International Migration Conference recognised the need for an international body to deal with the displaced population, especially those who were not covered by the Refugee Convention. Consequently, the Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movements of Migrants from Europe (PICMME) soon renamed as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) came into existence.

Over the years, it became evident that the problems and challenges related to the voluntary or forced movements of people were neither temporary in nature nor geographically confined to Europe. As the functions of the Organization evolved to meet the new needs and developments in the field of migration, the Organization was mandated to deal with broader issues with larger geographical coverage by the Member States in 1979. In recognition of this universal mandate, ICEM was renamed as Intergovernmental Committee for Migration (ICM) in 1980. In November 1984, the ICM Council approved the process of updating the 1953 Constitution. The purpose of this exercise was to enhance the mandate and scope of activities of the Organization and to give it a permanent statue.

In 1987, after lengthy deliberations, the Council adopted some amendments to the Constitution which entered into force in 1989. In the context of these changes and in keeping with the universal mandate of the Organization, Member States also decided to change the name to that of “International Organization for Migration (IOM)”. A new logo and Constitution were also adopted.

IOM is an intergovernmental body with more than half a century of worldwide operational experience working in more than 120 countries with a wide range of migration issues such as human trafficking and smuggling, labour migration, assisted voluntary return, migration health and other technical cooperation issues such as border management, machine readable passport etc. IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society and works with all stakeholders to maximize the potential benefits of migration.

IOM in South Asia

IOM (then ICEM) made its presence known in the South Asian region for the first time in 1971, through UNHCR, by involving in the resettlement of a large number of refugees from Bangladesh (the then East Pakistan) to India. IOM made its way to the forefront once again when in early 1990s the organization facilitated the repatriation of stranded migrant workers from the Gulf to the South Asian countries. Subsequently, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka became members while Bhutan, India and Nepal became Observer States. The IOM Regional Office in Dhaka was established in 1998. The Dhaka Regional Office was created to assist Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.