Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), called for the adoption of a comprehensive and integrated approach to address the phenomenon of irregular migration. This followed her meeting with several government members, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of the Interior, and the Minister of Transport.
Pope explained that a large number of migrants from West African countries are seeking better opportunities and are affected by conflicts and climate change. However, they lack regular migration pathways, which drives them to resort to criminal networks.
The UN official emphasized the need to distinguish between different categories of migrants to provide appropriate responses. She stressed the importance of prioritizing individuals fleeing conflict zones while supporting economic migrants toward sustainable reintegration in their countries of origin, particularly through training and capacity building.
In this context, Pope noted that the situation of people fleeing conflicts, such as in Sudan, differs from that of other migrants who come primarily for economic reasons in search of work. She affirmed the necessity of developing regular migration pathways that provide them with legal employment opportunities.
Concluding her statement, the Director General of the IOM highlighted the role played by Algeria in addressing this phenomenon. She expressed her admiration for the level of commitment and the approach adopted, as well as the extent of cooperation and partnership between the Algerian government and the International Organization for Migration.
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