Staff Correspondent

International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General Amy Pope has said Bangladesh is the birthplace of the Global Migration Framework and the first champion country to address migration issues and implement policies that safeguard migrants' rights.

“Bangladesh is the birthplace of the Global Migration Framework. Eight years ago Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the first leader advocated for the Global Migration Framework to the secretary general at the general assembly. And two years later, in 2018, the United Nations came up with a global compact for safe, regular, and orderly migration,” she said while explaining the reasons for choosing Bangladesh to launch the World Migration Report 2024 at a hotel in the capital on Tuesday.

The IOM, in its history of 73 years, launched its World Migration Report outside Geneva for the first time. In her speech, the director general presented the findings on global and Bangladesh perspectives.

Amy Pope, the first woman director general of the IOM, said there are a total of 281 million international migrants which account for 3.6% of the global population. In addition, International remittances increased from $128 billion in 2000 to $831 billion in 2022.

Over the period, she said, 169 million migrants remitted $831 billion, including $647 billion to low and middle-income countries. And 51.9% of migrant workers were male while 48.1% were female.

According to her, 72.1 million people were internally displaced in 2022 and 117 million people were living in displacement globally.

Highlighting Bangladesh’s perspective of the World Migration Report 2024, she said Bangladesh is the sixth highest workers’ sending and eighth highest remittance receiving country.

The country received $21.9 billion in remittances last year through legal channels and if the data on remittances received through irregular channels were included, it would be much higher, she said.

Amy said unfortunately 12% of the total fortune seekers who lost their lives while crossing the Mediterranean in 2024 were Bangladeshis.

The IOM chief said investing in migrant workers to ensure their safe and regular pathways to jobs is well beyond the traditional development process.

IOM Bangladesh Chief of Mission Abdusattor Esoev made opening remarks at the event moderated by IOM Senior Policy Advisor Prof Shahidul Haque.