Geneva News: IofC International becomes Observer to IOM Council

On Monday 5 December 2016, together with 17 other NGOs, IofC International was granted Observer Status to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Council. Rainer Gude, Chargé de Mission in Geneva read a statement at the 107^th  IOM Council, about the importance of this collaboration to enhance trust building efforts to “de-mystify” prejudices around migration and strengthen the collective efforts for peace.

This observer status grants IofC International the opportunity to be a non-voting participant at these important meetings of States discussing the most pressing issues pertaining to migration. 

Ambassador William Lacy Swing, Director General of IOM, who was also the key note speaker at the official opening of the latest 2016 Caux Conferences, said that “a renewed appreciation for migrants for their collective and individual contributions to society is urgently needed so we can come back to a public discourse that is much more historically accurate, namely that migration has always been overwhelmingly positive.”

The President of the UN General Assembly, Peter Thomson, was the key note speaker  at this event also celebrating IOM’s 65^th anniversary. When speaking about the refugee and migration crisis he said, ““This challenge requires all of us to work collaboratively and compassionately. It requires us to apply the Golden Rule; to treat others as we would wish to be treated ourselves.” Click here for more info.

This goes hand in hand with IofC’s approach, linking the personal to the global. Through IofC’s work in creating spaces for dialogue with diaspora communities, trust building workshops between migrants and local communities, seminars to allow for healing the past in both conflict and non-conflict settings and much more, IofC is constantly working for and with migrants.

IOM and the CAUX-IofC Foundation have already been collaborating during the Caux Conferences, for their official opening in 2016, and for the Caux Dialogue on Land and Security, but also on IOM’s “I am a migrant” campaign, and on two human library events around migration organized by CAUX-IofC and IofC International in Geneva and in Bern.

The CAUX-IofC Foundation is looking forward to a continued collaboration with IOM to contribute to that “renewed appreciation for migrants” and collectively working for greater atmosphere of trust in Switzerland.