Evaluation of Canada’s membership in the International Organization for Migration

1. Introduction

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) conducted an evaluation of Canada’s membership in the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as part of the renewal its terms and conditions for membership. This evaluation was completed with the assistance of an external evaluation contractor.

1.1 Evaluation objectives

The purpose of the evaluation was to assess Canada’s membership in the IOM in these key areas:

• Relevance of Canada’s membership in the IOM.
• Performance
  1. Impact of Canada’s membership on the IOM management and research agenda;
  2. Value added benefits of membership; and
  3. Alternative options to achieve the same results.

The evaluation was conducted between April and July 2010. The report is structured as follows:

• Section 1 presents an overview of the IOM and Canada’s involvement in the IOM;
• Section 2 presents a summary of the objective and methodology of the evaluation;
• Section 3 presents findings; and
• Section 4 presents the evaluation’s overall conclusions.

1.2 Overview of IOM

The IOM, as it is now called, was established in 1951 following the Second World War as an intergovernmental organization to assist in the resettlement of European displaced persons, refugees and migrants, primarily to North America, Latin America and Oceania. Its official headquarters is based in Geneva and most of its corporate administrative and support functions (information technology, security, human resources, etc.) are located in Manila.

IOM promotes international cooperation on migration issues, assists in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and provides humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, be they refugees, displaced persons or other uprooted people. IOM works in the four broad areas of migration management: migration and development, facilitating migration, regulating migration, and addressing forced migration. Cross-cutting activities include the promotion of international migration law, policy debate and guidance, protection of migrants’ rights, migration health and the gender dimension of migration.

IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. IOM’s mission is to act with its partners in the international community to: (1) assist in meeting the growing operational challenges of migration management; (2) advance understanding of migration issues; (3) encourage social and economic development through migration; and (4) uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants.

IOM’s mandate is derived from its founding constitution which is ratified by the member countries. The following briefly describes some of the purposes and functions of the IOM as defined in the constitution:

1. To arrange for the organized transfer of migrants requiring assistance;
2. To concern itself with the organized transfer of refugees, displaced persons and other individuals in need of assistance and for whom arrangements may be made between the IOM and the states concerned;
3. To provide organization-related services (i.e., recruitment, selection, medical examination, processing, transportation, language training, orientation) at the request of member states;
4. To provide similar services, as requested by states or in cooperation with international organizations, for voluntary return migration; and
5. To provide a forum to states as well as international and other organizations for the exchange of views and experiences, and the promotion of co-operation and co-ordination of efforts on international migration issues, including studies on such issues in order to develop practical solutions.

As these purposes and functions suggest, the IOM is primarily a service organization that responds to requests for specific services. IOM’s activities cover a wide range of categories, including: migration and development; migration health; facilitating migration; movement, emergency and post-conflict migration management; regulating migration; reparation programs, and general programs (such as migration policy and research; stranded migrant policy; and international migration law).

IOM governance

The IOM operates under the guidance of its member states. In addition to informal meetings, members provide oversight to the IOM through three formal governance structures:

• IOM Council;
• The Executive Committee (EXCOM), and
• The Standing Committee on Programs and Finance (SCPF)^{Footnote 2} (since 2007).

The IOM Council includes representatives of all member states of the organization. Its main responsibilities, according to the IOM Constitution, are to:

1. Provide policy direction for the IOM;
2. Review reports of, and oversee the activities of the IOM Director General;
3. Review and approve the program and budget of the IOM; and
4. Take any other appropriate action to further the purposes of the organization.

The Council meets once a year, in December. It provides direction on and approves the annual IOM program and budget. In recent years, the Council has also been organized along topical themes in migration, providing members with an opportunity to hear experts and to discuss issues.

EXCOM meets also once a year, in June. Its role is to review policies and programmes, to examine financial questions and to refer questions to the Council. Considering that it is largely redundant with the Council, the Council decided in 1998 to amend the IOM’s constitution to abolish EXCOM. Amendments must be ratified by two thirds of the member states (88 out of the current 132 members) before they become effective. Only 59 have ratified until now; Canada is in the process of ratifying. Until it is abolished, EXCOM must be convened every year as required by the constitution but it is agreed that it is strictly a formality and no decisions are taken.

The SCPF is a sub-committee of the Council whose primary role is to review and make recommendations to the Council regarding the annual program and budget of the IOM. The SCPF includes representatives from all the member states, making it effectively a sub-committee of the whole. States and organizations with observer status may attend Council but do not have voting privileges and are not able to attend SCPF. Any country can access IOM services for projects and services. The SCPF meets twice a year, in May and in October.

Budget and growth

More than 97% of IOM funding is in the form of voluntary contributions charged to member states and other nations and organizations for projects carried out on their behalf. The remainder represents the administrative budget, which is funded from member state assessed contributions.

IOM’s overall budget for 2009 exceeded US$1 billion, funding over 2,300 active projects and more than 7,000 staff members serving in over 460 field offices in more than a hundred countries. Despite the fact that it has been in existence for 60 years, the IOM is a rapidly growing international organization (see Table 1). As the international discourse on migration has gained ground in the last decade, so too has the IOM gained both members and observers. Membership has increased from 67 states in 1998 to 132 at present and continues to grow. Total expenditures have increased from US$242 million in 1998 to over US$1 billion in 2009. Field locations have increased from 119 in 1998 to 460 at present. In 1998 there were approximately 680 projects and 1,100 operational staff. Now there are over 2,300 projects and 7,000 staff. Such marked growth presents a clear challenge to governance, management and administration of any organization.

Source: IOM annual financial records

Canada, along with all other member states, is assessed an annual membership fee based on the UN Scale of Assessment. Membership provides governance rights to members such as a seat on the Council and on the Standing Committee on Programs and Finance (SCPF), as well as voting privileges. Membership fees are assessed in Swiss Francs (CHF) and as illustrated in Table 2, have remained relatively stable over time.

*Membership fees are assessed annually in Swiss Francs (CHF). The Swiss Franc was almost at par with the Canadian dollar in the last quarter of 2010

*Membership fees are assessed annually in Swiss Francs (CHF). The Swiss Franc was almost at par with the Canadian dollar in the last quarter of 2010
Source: IOM annual financial records

1.3 Canada and the IOM

Background

Canada, along with the United States and a number of European countries, was a founding member of the IOM in 1951. However, in 1962 Canada withdrew from membership. The main reason for this was that it was felt that the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM), as it was then called, had been established as a temporary organization and that its main purpose – to bring under control the refugee problem that had emerged following World War II – had been achieved.

In the years following Canada’s decision to pull out of the IOM, refugee movements and the number of refugees needing assistance continued to increase. Furthermore, despite withdrawing from membership in the organization, Canada continued to cooperate closely with the organization and to contract with the organization for assistance in migration movements to Canada. Between 1952 and the end of 1989, IOM assisted in the movement of over 460,000 persons to Canada. Beginning in 1972, Canada re-established its relationship with the IOM by taking on observer status with the organization.

The 1970s and 1980s was a period of significant expansion in Canada’s immigration activities and the involvement with the IOM on operational issues in support of migration to Canada became very comprehensive. By 1990, Canada was the second largest user of IOM services, in dollar value, behind the U.S. At that time it was felt that Canada could not pull back from its arrangements with the IOM without doing serious harm to its immigration program. In recognition of this, Canada renewed its membership in the IOM in 1991.

Each year, CIC renews its agreement with the IOM for Canada’s membership. Funding for Canada’s annual contribution is authorized under the Treasury Board of Canada’s Policy and Directive on Transfer Payments. The annual membership fees are applied to the IOM administrative budget. Canada’s contribution to this budget in 2009 was approximately $1.34 million Canadian dollars.

Canada’s participation in the IOM

Canada, as a full member of the IOM, participates in the meetings of the Council, EXCOM, and the SCPF. Canada’s Immigration Counsellor in Geneva represents Canada (on occasion Ottawa-based CIC senior personnel also attend) on the three governing bodies – the Immigration Counsellor receives direction from CIC National Headquarters (NHQ), International and Intergovernmental Relations (IIR). CIC consults with other government departments as needed, including Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC).

Services

CIC relies on IOM to provide transportation, health services and orientation services related to migration, which will be described in more detail below. Other government departments, specifically CIDA, DFAIT and HRSDC, also contract directly with the IOM to conduct specific projects in a variety of countries. More recently, provinces and private industry have begun to engage IOM to deliver services related to provincial nominees and temporary workers.

CIC’s primary use of paid-for-services (through voluntary contributions) includes delivery of the Canadian Orientation Abroad program, medical services and transportation. These services are briefly described in the following box. Table 2 outlines Canada’s membership fees and contributions to the IOM over time and Annex A provides further details on the projects and services delivered by IOM on behalf of Canada.

In 2009, the value of these core migration paid-for-services used by CIC amounted to approximately US$17.8 million. In addition, the Government of Canada at large utilizes IOM services for specific projects. In 2009 this amounted to an additional amount of US$13.6 million. Combined, the IOM is delivering over US$30 million in services and projects funded by Canadian organizations. Canada’s use of IOM services has grown significantly in recent years as demonstrated by the value of Canada’s earmarked (or voluntary) contributions, which broadly mirrors IOM’s growth. In the period from 2002 to 2009, Canada’s earmarked contributions to the IOM quadrupled.

Key CIC services delivered by IOM

IOM research and conferences

The IOM Department of International Cooperation and Partnerships (ICP) oversees:

• IOM’s principal international migration policy forum and dialogue activities;
• the development and dissemination of IOM migration policy strategies; and
• the development, management and dissemination of IOM’s research programs and publications to internal and external stakeholders.

There are certain research and policy functions that the IOM carries out. These include:

• International Dialogue on Migration^{Footnote 4}
  The IDM was launched at the IOM Council in 2001 to provide a forum for migration dialogue. The IDM was intended to enhance understanding of migration-related issues and to strengthen the cooperative mechanisms used by governments and other relevant stakeholders to address them comprehensively and effectively. The dialogue takes place at the annual Council sessions and at inter-sessional workshops that explore the multidisciplinary aspects of migration and foster linkages with related policy fields (e.g., trade, health, development).
• Strategic Policy and Planning
  The Strategic Policy and Planning Unit develop internal IOM policy strategies on migration-related issues in consultation and cooperation with the relevant departments and field offices, for the information of member states. It prepares position papers on key migration policy issues. It works with governments, partner organizations and institutions so as to make effective use of existing data and resources and avoid duplication of effort. It emphasizes the identification and sharing of effective practices on a wide range of migration policy areas, with a view to assisting policymakers and practitioners in their efforts to address migration constructively and effectively.
• Research and Publications
  In cooperation with other units, the Research Unit collates and analyses statistical and other relevant data on migration and establishes a methodology for making such information widely available on a regular basis and in a reliable and comprehensible manner. Research also contributes to IOM’s efforts to provide policy guidance to governments and to inform and shape policy agendas.

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