Kathmandu, May 11

IOM, the UN migration agency, and the World Bank today signed two new framework agreements that will facilitate easy access of IOM’s expertise to governments implementing projects with World Bank funding.

The World Bank and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) play key complementary roles in addressing globally relevant development and humanitarian challenges, including understanding and addressing forced displacement, promoting early and sustainable recovery during and after crises, identifying innovative solutions to protracted crises, exploring the link between migration and development, addressing the impact of climate change on mobility, strengthening the response to pandemic and ensuring social protection.

IOM welcomed to Geneva Manuela Ferro, vice president of operational policy and country services at the World Bank, who signed the memorandum of understanding covering two standard framework agreements during an afternoon session, as per a media release.

“Given the interest of the World Bank in addressing protracted displacement crisis, population mobility and its development impacts, the issue is particularly relevant and important for IOM,” Luca Dall’Oglio, IOM chief of mission in Washington DC, has been quoted as saying in the release. “The conclusion of these agreements will establish the required financial modalities for the World Bank and IOM to effectively support the concerned national authorities at the country level in the implementation of important projects,” he added.

These frameworks will streamline procedures for cooperation and see an immediate impact, as they will expedite IOM’s engagement with the government of Iraq under the World Bank-financed Emergency Social Stabilisation and Resilience Project. That effort aims to increase the livelihoods of over one million Iraqis through the provision of cash, short-term employment and other services.

IOM and the World Bank have already a long-standing partnership on data collection and analysis, knowledge management and joint programmes. The new agreements will strengthen and simplify the cooperation between the two

institutions for the benefit of the client countries.