In parallel with the Economic and Social Council meetings taking place in Geneva this week, a ceremony was held to sign a cooperation agreement between the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The agreement was signed by Executive Secretary Mervat Tallawy on behalf of UNESCWA, and by Director General Brunson McKinley on behalf of IOM.

This is the first such agreement to be signed between the two organizations. The Cooperation Agreement promises to set up a framework for the two parties to collaborate and hold consultations. UNESCWA and IOM also agree to: invite representatives from each side to attend meetings and conferences to which other intergovernmental organizations have been invited; exchange of information and documentation; have administrative and technical cooperation; act jointly to implement projects of common interest and set up commissions, committees or other technical or advisory bodies; and consult regularly on the implementation of this Agreement and means of entering into other such agreements in the future.

As the leading international organization for migration, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to assist in meeting the growing operational challenges of migration management, advance understanding of migration issues, encourage social and economic development through migration, and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. With 118 Member States, IOM works with migrants and governments to provide humane responses to migration challenges. Established in 1951 as an intergovernmental organization to resettle European displaced persons, refugees and migrants, IOM has now grown to encompass a variety of migration management activities throughout the world.

Established in 1973, UNESCWA is composed of 13 Arab countries from Western Asia: Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Syrian Arab Republic, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. It aims to support economic and social cooperation among the countries of the region and promote the development process in order to achieve regional integration. As an instrument of the United Nations system, UNESCWA seeks to harmonize the policies of member countries in various sectors, as well as to unify databases, statistics and information and prepare and distribute these to users. It also seeks to conduct analytical studies and implements field projects aimed at serving various social strata, including women and children, the elderly and those with special needs. UNESCWA organizes conferences, intergovernmental and expert group meetings, training workshops, lectures and study sessions. It also provides technical cooperation assistance, including advisory services, to the member countries.