Tehran – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the Islamic Republic of Iran organized on 5-6 March a two-day workshop on the Global Compact for Migration (GCM) and Migration Governance Indicators (MGI) in Tehran. 

Funded by IOM Development Fund (IOMDF), the workshop brought together high-level officials from the Ministry of Interior, National organization for Migration (NoM), the immigration and Passport Police and the State Welfare Organization, amongst others, to familiarize them with the GCM and the MGI projects in the country, exploring best practices to achieve the desired outcomes. 

“The current period is a good momentum for collaboration, and MGI is synchronized with the national priorities of NoM. We need to measure the impact of such interesting policies that are currently being developed and make them more visible.,” said Lalini VEERASSAMY, IOM Iran Chief of Mission.   

Facilitated by the IOM experts from the regional and global headquarters, participants exchanged views and engaged in technical discussions on Iran’s stance regarding global frameworks and how policy making tools such as MGI can contribute to the migration management in the country. 

“While we welcome the knowledge sharing process on globally recognized platforms, our main priority is to receive adequate support from the international community, and they should take more responsibility to fulfill their commitment toward the Afghan nationals in a manner equal to migrants in other parts of the world,” said Abdollah Mobini, Deputy Minister of Interior and Head of the National Organization for Migration. 

The Islamic republic of Iran hosts one of the largest population of refugees and migrants, the majority of whom are Afghan nationals. 

“This workshop takes places in the context of the solid cooperation between the United Nations in Iran and the Government, with the objective of contributing to the complex migration dynamic in the country and building more inclusive and comprehensive migration policy with respect to the rights of refugees and migrants,” said Stefan Priesner, UN Resident Coordinator in Islamic Republic of Iran. 

The Global Compact for Migration was ratified by Iran in 2018, and this workshop marks the very first attempt to explore its objectives in-depth among UN representatives and governmental officials.

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For more information please contact:

Nima Karimi, Communications Officer, IOM Iran, nimkarimi@iom.int  

About the Global Compact for Migration (GCM):

The GCM is the first inter-governmentally negotiated agreement endorsed by the United Nations, covering all dimensions of migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner. Additionally, the MGI serves as a tool designed to assist governments in assessing their migration policies and frameworks, identifying good practices, and pinpointing areas that may need further development.