Правовой статус Международной организации по миграции

Abstract

The article discusses the history, the structure and the programme activities of the International Organization for Migration. This organization has been in existence for 51 year. The decision about its creation was taken at the 1951 Brussels conference by the resolution which expressed the idea of joining the states' efforts to meet the existing and emerging needs in migration. The IOM is an inter-governmental organization. In 2002 129 countries participated in its work, with 93 memberstates and 36 countries with the status of an observer, as well as 60 international organizations and international non¬ governmental organizations with the status of an observer. The Republic of Belarus started its participation in the work of the IOM as an observer in 1994. 1996 saw opening of the IOM mission in Belarus. The IOM cooperates with its partners in the international community to promote the solution of the urgent problems of migration through better understanding by the states of the problems in migration and through encouraging social and economic development of these states with the help of migration. At the same time, special attention is paid to the welfare of the migrants themselves through the organization of the migration services. The structure of the IOM, which according to the Charter is headed by the Council, Executive Committee and Administration, is important for the implementation of the organization's objectives. Owing to the effort of the organization's officers and a well-developed action programme IOM rendered help in moving 12 mln migrants in 1951—2001. Though the mandates of the IOM and the UNHCR may look similar, their competence really is different: the UNHCR activities are of humanitarian character and pertain to forced migrants-refugees. Whereas the IOM is concerned with a wide range of issues and deals with the movement of wider sections of people in accordance with the principle than humanitarian and well-ordered migration ought to benefit both the migrants and the receiving state. During the half-century of its activity this organization proved to be a universal forum for the decision of the problems connected with migration. This forum offered an opportunity for the dialogue between the countries on major issues of migration policy, focusing on management and regulation of international migration, which allowed the IOM to take a certain place among other international organizations.