HUMAN WRONGS WATCH

Migration is unfolding in a world facing increasing and intersecting crises. One in four people live in fragile settings marked by instability, conflict or disaster.

By the end of 2024, 83.4 million people were internally displaced due to conflict, violence, and disasters, while new emergencies continued to push communities beyond their coping capacity. 

In this context, voluntary, safe and dignified return and sustainable reintegration play an essential role in strengthening stability and supporting long-term development, providing governments with solutions that uphold rights while investing in resilient communities.

Countless Yemenis are still waiting for a chance to rebuild their lives. Photo: IOM

Climate shocks are intensifying these pressures. In 2024, disasters displaced 9.8 million people, representing a 27 per cent increase from 2023.

Global economic losses reached USD 242 billion. Irregular migration also continued to carry severe risks, with more than 5,500 deaths and disappearances recorded in 2025. 

At the same time, migration is also driving resilience, innovation, and opportunity.

More than 304 million people are international migrants, including 168 million workers whose skills sustain essential sectors and support communities worldwide. Migrants bolster economies, staff hospitals, support agriculture, and run small businesses.

Remittances reached USD 883 billion in 2024, demonstrating how safe and dignified migration strengthens development and stability.

IOM continues the infrastructural work to improve sites, in addition to stabilizing slopes.© IOM 2021

In a context where needs are rising and resources are stretched, IOM’s Appeal calls for sharper prioritization, flexible funding and more efficient systems to meet urgent needs while supporting long-term solutions.

The Appeal is aligned with the Organization’s three strategic pillars: saving lives and protecting people on the move, driving solutions to displacement, and facilitating pathways for regular migration.

IOM is seeking USD 1.5 billion to protect people on the move to ensure displaced families have access to shelter, clean water, medical care, protection and other essential services.

This includes mobile health assistance in conflict-affected areas, temporary shelter after extreme weather events, and strengthened humanitarian supply chains, so aid reaches people quickly and safely.

To advance durable solutions, IOM is requesting USD 1.5 billion to reduce risks, bolster community resilience and support governments in transitioning from crisis response to recovery.

This work includes restoring livelihoods, helping local authorities plan safer settlements, using data and innovation to anticipate risks, and supporting national systems to withstand future shocks.

Approximately USD 1.3 billion will support safe and regular migration pathways, helping governments strengthen labour mobility, uphold migrants’ rights, and improve systems that generate shared benefits for societies and economies.

This includes cooperation on voluntary, safe and dignified return, readmission and sustainable reintegration, as well as advancing a route-based approach to support governments in responding to complex movements with coherent, data-informed solutions.

With this Appeal, IOM urges governments, donors and partners to act with renewed commitment. The Organization calls on the international community to invest in stability, safety and dignity for people on the move and for the communities that receive them, ensuring that migration becomes a driver of sustainable progress for all.

Download the full appeal here.