UN wants $7.9 billion to help migrants, blames climate change for record displacement

The United Nations is requesting $7.9 billion to “tackle migration crises” and reduce displacement allegedly caused by climate change, according to a Monday news release.

Earlier this week, the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration published a news article announcing its “first ever Global Annual Appeal for 2024,” which urges governments, the private sector, and donors to invest nearly $8 billion “to support its operations and help create a system that realizes migration’s promise as a force for good throughout the world.” It is unclear how exactly the agency plans to spend the donated funds.

According to the IOM, the funds would allow it to “prepare in advance” instead of “merely reacting” to immigration issues. The agency aims to provide aid to 140 million people, “including internally displaced people and the local communities that host them.” The report revealed that the IOM plans to request $8.6 billion in 2025 and $9.1 billion in 2026 to address its “projected multi-year funding needs.”

The U.N. intends to use $3.4 billion for “saving lives and protecting people on the move,” $2.7 billion for “solutions to displacement including reducing the risks and impacts of climate change,” $1.6 billion for “facilitating pathways for regular migrations,” and $163 million “transforming IOM to better deliver.” These goals are part of the agency’s five-year Global Strategic Plan.

IOM Director General Amy Pope stated, “Irregular and forced migration have reached unprecedented levels and the challenges we face are increasingly complex.”

“The evidence is overwhelming that migration, when well-managed, is a major contributor to global prosperity and progress. We are at a critical moment in time, and we have designed this Appeal to help deliver on that promise. We can and must do better,” Pope added.

“Getting the job done requires greater investment from governments, the private sector, individual donors and other partners,” Pope continued. “This funding will address the large and widening gap between what we have, and what we need in order to do the job right. For this reason, we are for the first time proactively approaching all partners to fund this vital appeal.”

According to the IOM, “Globalization, inequality, climate change and political instability” are the main driving forces behind the increase in migration. The agency’s Global Appeal cited reports from the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which claims that in 2024, approximately 300 million people will require “humanitarian assistance and protection due to conflict, climate emergencies and other drivers.”

“Over the past decade, weather-related events – including floods, storms and wildfires – have caused over 200 million new displacements worldwide. In 2022 alone, weather-related disasters caused 32.6 million new displacements, amounting to 53 per cent of new internal displacements recorded around the world. According to projections developed by IOM, this number will only increase over the coming decades, as more and more communities will be impacted by the adverse effects of climate change,” the appeal stated. The IOM claimed that people exposed to extreme heat conditions will double, and individuals exposed to floods and crop failures will at least triple.

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