MOSCOW, April 5. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law on Russia’s recognizing the Constitution of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The document was posted on the official website of legal information on Monday.
Set up in 1951, the International Organization for Migration is the leading intergovernmental organization in the sphere of migration.
IOM supports migrants across the world, developing effective responses to the shifting dynamics of migration and, as such, is a key source of advice on migration policy and practice. The organization works in emergency situations, developing the resilience of all people on the move, and particularly those in situations of vulnerability, as well as building capacity within governments to manage all forms and impacts of mobility.
IOM's stated mission is to promote humane and orderly migration by providing services and advice to governments and migrants. It works to help ensure proper management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, be they refugees, displaced persons or other uprooted people. It has been part of the United Nations system since 2016.
Putin issued an order to secure Russia’s membership in the organization in August 2020.
Vladimir Dzhabarov, first deputy chairman of Russia’s Federation Council (upper parliament house) Committee on International Affairs, noted earlier that the organization’s constitution has a provision saying that it is in a nation’s jurisdiction to decide how many migrants it can receive, so, IOM membership imposes no extra commitments on Russia and doesn’t restrict its right to conduct an independent migration policy. Russia’s full-fledged membership in IOM will help it increase its influence on international policy in the sphere of migration and use the country's potential to promote its interests in this sphere, he added.