iom #mefm - migration emergency funding mechanism

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Migration for the benefit of all.

International Organization for

Migration

Migration Emergency Funding Mechanism (MEFM) An Overview: 2012-2014

Migrants caught in crises are particularly

vulnerable and often unable to access support

networks or resources either from the host

country or their country of origin. IOM plays a

key role in coordinated humanitarian

response, providing assistance and protection

to migrants, internally displaced persons

(IDPs) and third country nationals (TCNs) in

emergencies, responding to the needs of

individuals and uprooted communities.

Emergencies, natural or man-made, are often

unpredictable. IOM and its humanitarian

partners must respond quickly to provide

immediate assistance. However, due to IOM’s

project-based funding and tightly earmarked

contributions, it has no readily available

resources at the first onset of a crisis. While

donors support the needs of emergency

operations, arrival of funds takes time.

Additionally, displacement and migration

during emergencies often occurs in more than

one country. As people seek refuge across

borders, sometimes operational costs are not

covered, leaving funding gaps that need to be

addressed.

What is MEFM? Recent major emergencies, such as the

evacuation from Libya in 2011 highlighted the

need for a funding mechanism to facilitate IOM’s

rapid response and intervention. IOM’s

Migration Emergency Funding Mechanism

(MEFM) was established in 2012, following

Council Resolution MC/2335 in November 2011.

It was created to bridge the funding gap

between when emergencies occur and when

donor funding is received.

MEFM, a revolving fund, reinforces IOM’s

operational capacity providing reliable,

predictable, and direct financial support to

Country Offices facing natural or man-made

crises in the first days of its onset, before

contributions from donors are received.

Since MEFM was established it has loaned USD

8.5 million to IOM Country Offices in order to

kick-start emergency operations. Given the

growing number of emergencies and recognizing

the vulnerabilities of mobile populations, the

fund requires USD 30 million to remain an

effective tool.

Cover photo: Through MEFM’s

initial support, IOM provided

evacuation assistance to

individuals through ground

transportation, to return to

their countries of origin. In

Bangui, the capital city of the

Central African Republic (CAR),

IOM coordinated a mass

evacuation for Chadian

migrants to the border of

Chad. From December 2013 to

March 2014, 9,309 persons

were evacuated directly by

IOM. Photo by Catianne

Tijerina © IOM 2014


2

How does MEFM work? MEFM is administered at IOM’s Headquarters

in Geneva, Switzerland. It is available to

support IOM Country Offices upon the onset

of an emergency, after an assessment and

review process which is coordinated and

managed by the Office of the Director General

and the Department of Operations and

Emergencies.

MEFM funds are used as a bridging loan

pending receipt of funds from other sources,

including CERF grants and other donor

contributions. To be eligible for funds from

MEFM, there must be a clear indication that

donors are interested in funding the

emergency.

IOM keeps a full record of all MEFM donor

contributions received and maintains an

account of all MEFM allocations to

emergencies in IOM’s Annual Financial Report.

Photo: Relocation of displaced

people from PK12, northern

Bangui. IOM provided logistical

and operational support for the

relocation of IDPs from Bangui

to Kabo and Moyen Sido. Photo

by Catianne Tijerina © IOM

2014


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What activities does MEFM Support?

Emergency Transport and Evacuation of Vulnerable Populations

Arranging for the safe and orderly movement of

migrants is a fundamental activity of IOM. With its

global team of movement operations experts,

along with established agreements with major

airline networks and transport providers, IOM

routinely moves over 10,000 persons per month

throughout the world under non-emergency

programs.

MEFM helps IOM to respond immediately to

migration emergencies by deploying staff and

securing air and other transport assets to move or

evacuate people out of harm’s way in the initial

and often most critical phase of a migration crisis.

This rapid response not only can save lives, like in

the Central African Republic, but can also preserve

protection space as was done on the borders of

Egypt and Tunisia during the 2011 migration crisis

in Libya.

In large-scale evacuation operations, transport

expenditures can exceed over one million US

dollars per day, thus substantial funding must be

on hand and available immediately to ensure

IOM’s timely and effective life-saving responses to

critical humanitarian needs.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Nature of the crisis 1

IOM’s capacity and

access to beneficiaries

Lack of immediate

donor funding Lack of funds by

county of origin

Nature of the

activity is life-

saving

Needs to be addressed 2

3 4

5 6

DONORS CONTRIBUTE

CRISIS

MEFM

Non-emergency programmes Core costs of Country Office where the emergency takes place

Disaster risk reduction programmes

Post crisis activities

What MEFM does not Fund

Balance of $30M

GOAL


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Rapid Displacement Tracking

At the onset of an emergency, accurate and

reliable information on the locations and

needs of displaced persons is limited if not

nonexistent. As the global Camp Coordination

and Camp Management (CCCM) cluster co-

lead, IOM is responsible for facilitating

assistance and ensuring the protection of

displaced communities in both camp and

camp-like settings. Within the first days of an

emergency, IOM activates its Displacement

Tracking Matrix (DTM) to inform planning and

programming. Key DTM experts are rapidly

deployed in order to set-up and implement

DTM, enabling the assessment and

communication of IDP needs and locations to

donors and partners on the ground.

IOM’s data on displacement guided

humanitarian response planning, particularly

in Bangui. At the beginning of the Central

African Republic (CAR) crisis, the

figures on displacement in Bangui

were very limited. MEFM was critical

to the immediate deployment of key

surge staff to set up DTM. IOM and

its network of local partners were

integral in collecting displacement

data. As a result, the operational data

collected by DTM positioned IOM as

a main source of data in CAR. This

data is currently provided to the

CCCM and Protection Clusters to

guide planning, particularly in Bangui.

Humanitarian Aid

At the onset of a natural or man-made

disaster, the immediate needs of

migrants and displaced populations are

highly variable. Depending on the crisis

and the needs of the affected

population, MEFM is also used to

support other humanitarian assistance including,

but not limited to, the distribution of relief items

and shelter kits for camp management activities.

As the global cluster co-lead for CCCM in natural

disasters, IOM seeks to provide quick and

sustainable responses to emergencies in order

to contribute to effective assistance and

protection of displaced communities. CCCM is

committed to providing rapid and expert

emergency response capacity within 72 hours of

the onset of an emergency. IOM’s coordination

and management activities in displacement sites

aim to ensure equitable access to protection,

assistance, and life-saving services.

The provision of humanitarian relief items and

shelter items are often the first form of

assistance to displaced communities. The

distribution of humanitarian relief items and

shelter kits often serves as an entry point to the

humanitarian system for communities affected

by crises.

Surge Staff

Deployments and

Needs Assessments

Transportation and

Evacuation

Humanitarian Aid

Photo: MEFM supports the

distribution of humanitarian

relief items during

emergencies. In Syria, children

receive relief items in a

distribution to IDPs in Sweida.

Thus far in 2014, IOM has

assisted over 30,000

individuals with relief items

and shelter support. © IOM

2013

MEFM Activities


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Where has MEFM helped?

MEFM and Global Humanitarian Financing

Although IOM receives generous

contributions from donors and funding is

often committed rapidly, administrative

procedures often delay receipt. MEFM is a

tool to help bridge the gap in funding a rapid

crisis response when other funding sources

of the global humanitarian financing system

are temporarily out of reach. The United

Nations Central Emergency Fund (CERF), UN

OCHA’s Emergency Response Funds (ERFs),

and Common Humanitarian Fund (CHFs) are

some pooled funds accessible to IOM for

emergency humanitarian assistance. All of

these funds have enabled IOM to respond

rapidly to emergencies occurring in many

countries. CERF in particular has been an

expedient funding source, as funds are often

dispersed within less than two weeks of an

emergency’s onset. However, only in a few

cases has pooled funding been allocated for

national or international transportation

activities due to the geographic scope of

migration emergency activities spanning

across multiple countries. MEFM

compliments these funds in bridging the gap

until donor funding is received by providing

lifesaving support in areas not traditionally

covered by these emergency funds.

MEFM in 2014

Donor Contributions: USD 10 M

Replenished: USD 2.3 M

Allocations to Crises: USD 8.5 M

Outstanding: USD 6.2 M

The Philippines

Somalia

Ethiopia

Kenya

Central African Republic

Iraq

Syria

South Sudan

Chad

73%

27%


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Case Study: Central African Republic

The Impact of MEFM In the first onset of the crisis in CAR, IOM’s swift response would have not been possible without the flexibility provided by

MEFM. Malian Ambassador to Gabon, Diadié Yacouba Dagnoko, acknowledges IOM’s transport assistance to Malian

migrants. He said, “This group of Malians is returning to their homes. I am pleased they are able to return, but it is

frustrating because some Malians were born here in CAR but have to flee the violence. We hope that the situation will

stabilize and some will return. It is good that those who were separated in the towns of Boda, Mamberi, and Guen, will be

reunited with families. I thank the Central African authorities, MISCA, Sangaris, OCHA and IOM for their assistance”.

Photo: Families are reunited after escaping Bangui upon IOM’s evacuation assistance to neighboring,

Chad. © IOM 2014

“IOM has received urgent requests from several governments to evacuate their nationals from CAR. I authorized to start this operation because we must assist stranded migrants whose lives are in danger,” said IOM Director General, Ambassador William Lacy Swing

The Need In the Central African Republic, the outbreak of fighting between the ex-

Seleka and anti-Balaka forces in the beginning of September 2013 led to

extreme violence and population displacement within the country. Faced

with widespread insecurity, as houses were damaged or looted, the

affected population abandoned their homes and villages to seek refuge in

collective centres such as the airport, churches and schools. By January

2014, there were approximately 935,000 IDPs and migrants in CAR, with

513,000 IDPs displaced in Bangui, an astounding 40% increase from 30

December to 3 January. Among the affected population, were tens of

thousands of migrants from neighboring countries.

IOM’s Response Governments requested IOM assistance with the evacuation of their most

vulnerable citizens from Bangui. Responding to Member States’ requests

for IOM assistance, the Director General approved the mobilization of

MEFM. The initial MEFM loan allowed IOM to deploy experts with

extensive experience in conflict situations, to charter flights for urgent

evacuations, distribute food, and provide urgent medical aid to migrants

and IDPs caught in the conflict. In carrying out these activities, MEFM

allowed IOM’s Country Office in Bangui to kick-start life-saving operations.

Thanks to donors, IOM evacuated approximately 11,801 migrants who

were at risk on 26 charter flights as well as other commercial flights.

Replenished: USD 900,000

Outstanding: USD 3.85 M

MEFM ALLOCATIONS TO

CAR (2014)

Total: USD 4.75 M

81%

19%


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The Way Forward

MEFM plays a critical role in IOM’s emergency

response, allowing IOM to rapidly reach

communities, families and individuals in need.

By providing immediate funding, MEFM helps

equip IOM with the resources to respond

without delay and enables emergency

responders the flexibility to deliver urgent life-

saving support. Due to IOM’s project based

funding, MEFM is the only facility allowing

IOM the flexibility to immediately respond to

an international migration emergency and

start-up emergency operations.

MEFM is a key tool for IOM to successfully

deliver one of its key mandates, “To

participate in coordinated humanitarian

responses in the context of inter-agency

arrangements in this field and to provide

migration services in other emergency or post-

crisis situations as appropriate and as relates

to the needs of individuals, thereby

contributing to their protection”. This

ultimately aims to build and strengthen

capacities to respond to natural and man-

made crises.

However, limited resources against escalating

and urgent humanitarian needs raises

questions about the sustainability of MEFM. If

MEFM is to continue to be an effective

response tool it will need further support and

a commitment from existing and new donors

to meet its intended balance of USD 30

million. IOM calls upon the donor community

including Member States, the private sector,

individual contributors and migrant countries

of origin to help IOM protect migrants caught

in crisis and in need of protection across the

globe.

Photo: MEFM is a tool to protect families caught in crisis. For families in Somalia, migration means re-uniting with family. © IOM 2014

Photo: The Government of Ethiopia asked IOM to assist with the influx of forced returnees from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in November 2013. Often these

returnees had no belongings with them other than the ones that they were wearing. MEFM helped IOM provide them with humanitarian relief items and transportation assistance.© IOM 2013

For further information please contact:

Donor Relations Division

International Organization for Migration

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +41 22 717 9271

IOM Thanks MEFM Donors

Australia

South Africa Sweden United States

Norway

Malta Bahamas

Turkey

The Philippines Romania

Mauritius

Namibia

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