•   Sheriff Mohamed

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•   27 Nov 2024  

Ambassador Gberie Reaffirms African Group Support To Enhance Safe, Orderly And Regular Migration

At the IOM’s 115th Council meeting, Dr. Lansana Gberie, Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and other International Organisations in Geneva delivered a statement on behalf of the African Group. He addressed the Council responding to the Director General’s report on the programmes and operations of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) with Sierra Leone as Coordinator of the African Group on Migration for the past year.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) convenes in regular session once annually and in special sessions upon request by one-third of its members, the Director General, or the Chairman of the Council under urgent circumstances. At the beginning of each regular session, the Council elects a Chairperson, a First Vice-Chairperson, a Second Vice-Chairperson, and a Rapporteur from among the representatives of member states, all serving one-year terms eligible for re-election.

Under the leadership of Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio, Sierra Leone has been accredited globally for constructive engagement in intergovernmental negotiations and a significant player in adopting a global compact for safe, orderly, and regular migration since 2018.

In his statement, Ambassador Gberie expressed gratitude to the Director-General of  IOM, Ms. Amy Pope, and her team for their achievements amid escalating geopolitical tensions and regional instabilities, which have led to unprecedented levels of displacement and forced migration.

“From Sudan, at the heart of Africa, to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, and Europe, armed violence has dislocated millions, forcing them into traumatic journeys they never wanted to undertake. This situation has been compounded by brutal and deliberate attacks on humanitarian workers, a war crime if there ever was one,” he noted.

Ambassador Gberie acknowledged the IOM's efforts in alleviating the suffering of those fleeing conflict regions and helping vulnerable individuals seeking safety across Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Highlighting Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo's crises, he called for a global effort to end wars and enforced peace to stop forced displacement and related suffering.

“The African Group supports the Joint Communique issued in Addis Ababa on 8 October 2024, ‘The Meeting of Principals of the African Union and the International Organization for Migration,’ and reaffirms our support towards efforts to enhance safe, orderly, and regular migration on the continent and internationally,” Ambassador Gberie added.

The government of Sierra Leone, under President Bio, has been working with the National UN Network on Migration since its launch on 1 June 2021, integrating migration into the Common Country Analysis (CCA) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), as part of implementing these frameworks.

The 115th Session of the Council will be held from 26 to 28 November 2024 in a hybrid format.

 For More Enquiries: 
Mohamed Sheriff, Information Attaché, Geneva, Switzerland +41791756648 
Email: m.sheriff@slmge.ch