Through becoming an IOM Member State, Belarus has confirmed its adherence to the principle of the free movement of people. Furthermore, it is an acknowledgement of the importance of humane and orderly migration with the observance of human rights and freedoms.
IOM is growing rapidly and currently counts 116 member states. At present, there is an emerging consensus that governments can and must manage migration through international cooperation and policy approaches that address all facets of this complex phenomenon.
IOM Membership gives Belarus the right to vote as well as take part in the decision-making process of the Council, which defines the policy and the budget of the Organization. In addition, Belarus will enjoy the right of being involved in already running programmes or proposing new projects, which correspond to the government’s interests and needs. Indeed, IOM Membership will broaden the opportunities for Belarus in attracting financial resources for carrying out a range of projects in the sphere of migration management.
The Republic of Belarus has participated in the work of IOM for more than 11 years. Since November 1994, Belarus held observer status and in 1999 the Agreement on cooperation between the government of Belarus and IOM was ratified. At present the IOM Minsk Mission is successfully implementing programmes in such areas as capacity building in migration management, combating trafficking in human beings, and labour migration.
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