IOM

32 thousand migrants have left Italy in 2011

32 thousand migrants have left Italy in 2011: 87 million Euros less in tax revenues

Presented in Milan, the data of the "Report on the Economy of Immigration in Italy 2013," published by the Moressa Foundation and sponsored by IOM Rome.

In Italy, there are 2.3 million migrant workers which represent 10.1 % of the workforce, contribute for over 12% of Italian GDP, and count up to the 8.3 % of total taxpayers. Their income declaration notify 43.6 billion euros to the National Revenue and they pay 6.5 billion Euros in income taxes. Their unemployment rate (14.1%) had an increase of about 5.6 percentage points from 2008 to 2011.

World Migration Report 2013: Getting the Global Picture

By Joe Lowry

Dilini, from Sri Lanka is a security guard in Kuwait who feels her mentality has changed in the 13 years since she left Sri Lanka. Pablo is a Spaniard living in Chinatown, Buenos Aires, who works as a creative editor. He wants to move back to Spain when the economy there improves. Vera is a German film student enjoying the diversity of New York. And Carlos, a doctor from Peru, but working in Angola misses his family back home. He is saving money and getting ahead in his career, thinking long-term for his young son.

The Next Generation of Aid Workers Gets Hands-on in Ghana

By Erin Foster

Since 2010, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) office in Ghana has welcomed students for an eight-week summer practicum, bridging the gap between the academic and professional divide. Forged as part of a partnership with Syracuse University, located in upstate New York, USA, this study abroad programme allows the next generation of aid workers to take classroom principles and apply them in a field setting, with guidance from seasoned IOM staff members. “This internship programme is a win-win for IOM in Ghana and the Syracuse students. Their remarkable enthusiasm and knowledge leave a lasting impact,” according to Dyane Epstein, Chief of Mission, IOM Ghana.

One Small Thing Can Make a Big Difference

By Leonard Doyle

Brilliantly encapsulating what it is to be a humanitarian aid worker, Matt Bowlby of IOM Haiti describes his daily rounds of a displacement camp thus: "You’re here to do one small thing that’s going to make a big difference."

In that short and pithy phrase, delivered as he bantered in creole with residents still displaced by the earthquake of three years ago, he summed up what keeps so many humanitarian aid workers returning to work in the often dangerous conditions of emergencies. In the film Matt and Magdala Michelle Jean-Pierre talk about the rewards and challenges of humanitarian work in Haiti.

19 August was World Humanitarian Day a month long initiative that invites you to sponsor a word and turn your voice to help millions of people worldwide affected by disasters. IOM and United Nations ask supporters to complete the sentence: The world needs more…

A night helping trafficked Filipinas back from Syria

By: Romina D. Sta. Clara

It’s the first time I joined the field operations of IOM-Philippines on assisted voluntary return.  In this case, the Government of the Philippines through its embassy in Syria has requested IOM to assist with the voluntary return of about 60 Filipinos. For IOM, this means providing assistance in transportation (from Syria airport until they reach the Philippine airport) and ensuring that the returnees are properly endorsed to government authorities upon arrival at the Philippine airport. For this kind of work, routine coordination is made with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Bureau of Immigration (BoI), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA),  Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT).

A Mapping Revolution...

By Leonard Doyle

WOULD you like to know about an innovative high-tech initiative to help vulnerable communities build resilience, ahead of the coming hurricane/typhoon season, by using low-tech solutions? If so, read on.

The fine line that every photographer must walk

By Ray Leyesa

“A still photograph stops time. It gives the viewer a moment to think, to react, to feel,” says acclaimed photojournalist Renee Byer as she described the power of pictures in storytelling.

UN High Level Dialogue to Tackle International Migration and Development

By Karoline Popp

If you are interested in how States deal with migration multilaterally, 2013 is a big year. On 3-4 October 2013, Member States of the UN will come together – for the second time in the history of the General Assembly – to debate international migration, in the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development.

How to Win a Brand Ambassador

By Annie Cosalan

It’s the time of year when glamour and glitz fill the air and celebrities step up in their sharpest, most fabulous outfits to be seen by over 40 million worldwide. Paparrazi are everywhere. Heads turn. It’s the Oscars! It’s a lot more than just finding out who gets to go home with the little gold statuette. As The Guardian put it: “Gone is the phalanx of publicists, the glazed interview demeanor, the self-protective instincts born of a thousand paparazzo intrusions; and in its place the quick stumble of inarticulacy, the pink flush of pure need, as the star gulps down all the love and
acceptance they stand revealed to have craved all along.”

Remember The Lorax

By Annie Cosalan

Who hasn't heard of Dr. Seuss' odd-looking Lorax, who lives in a beautiful sunny forest where the Swomee-Swans sing and the Humming-Fish hum? His tragic story is one of the best books on the environment because the stories are so accessible.

"Help! Al Jazeera wants an interview"

By Annie Cosalan

Many live in dread of dealing with the media. One IOM colleague and mission media focal point (who shall remain nameless), told how she wakes up in a cold sweat after any encounter with the media. Why? I asked her over a crackling Skype line this week: “I have these nightmares that something I said was either wrong or misreported and is now all over the internet."

Who You Gonna Call?

By Frank Fowlie

It never seems as easy as it should be for people to complain and get mistakes sorted out quickly in their workplace. Sometimes simple mistakes can take weeks, if not years to be resolved, with frustration building up on all sides as time passes.