Form ‘UN Migrant’

24 May 2011 04:31 pm

By B.M. Murshideen

Foreign Employment Minister Dilan Perera has requested the United Nations to form a new body known as ‘UN Migrant’ which could with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) attend to matters related to the international migration of people.

The minister made this request when speaking at the IOM’s 60th anniversary celebrations held on Monday at Hotel Cinnamon Grand. He said the office of the ‘UN Migrant’ could be located in Colombo.

“There is no dedicated World body to handle migration matters. Migrants and refugees are looked after by the UN refugee agency - UNHCR. I see the need for a UN body to sustain, support and deal with migration issues” the minister said.

The IOM was established in 1951 after World War ll and it has now become a global intergovernmental organization with 1,312 member states and 97 with observer status, International Organizations and NGOs.

It has more than 420 field locations staffed by more than 7,000 workers. Sri Lanka became a member in 1990 and the country office was established in 2002.

The minister requested the IOM to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Israel in relation to Sri Lanka, to provide jobs for more than a thousand care givers, agricultural labourers and construction workers. (Daily Mirror)