Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Amy Pope has laid emphasis on broader use of data and data analytics to understand which communities will be impacted the most by climate change so that they can identify those communities.

"So understanding what's happening in Bangladesh will require much more analysis and research," she said in a group interview with five journalists representing local and international media outlets including UNB while responding to a question on climate migration.

The IOM DG, during her recent visit, said that is exactly the kind of investment that they are asking governments to make because governments will spend billions of dollars in their border enforcement but they do not spend the same kind of funds in understanding the drivers of migration and then helping to enable communities to adapt or stabilize movements of people.

Pope, who became Director General of the IOM on 1 October 2023, said their goal is also to teach people either new skills, or new ways of working or in some cases using migration as an adaptation strategy. "So that means not waiting until millions of people are displaced because they have no other option."

Responding to a question from UNB, she said it is not just in Bangladesh, last year, the number of new displacements more were caused by climate impact and conflict around the world. "And we know that hundreds of millions of people now live in communities that are extremely vulnerable to climate impact."

In 2022 alone, disasters triggered over 1.5 million displacements in Bangladesh, according to World Migration Report 2024.

The subregion has experienced devastating disasters in recent years, some of which have been linked to climate change.

Southern Asia is extremely vulnerable to climate shocks and has experienced extreme weather events such as heatwaves and floods in recent years.

Long monsoon seasons, hotter weather and increased droughts are all expected to become the "new normal" in the subregion as temperatures continue to rise.

Responding to another question, she said when there are large movements of displaced people globally, it often is to neighboring countries and neighboring countries that just do not have the capacity themselves to respond to those pressures.

"So our key message to donors and this is true, particularly with Bangladesh, is that we need to continue to invest in a response of the neighboring country, a neighboring country which is really shouldering a much greater burden as a result of the conflict," Pope, the first woman to hold the post in IOM's 73-year history, told UNB.

And as a gesture of solidarity, she said, governments make a wise investment in the capacity of that host government to be able to continue to host those populations.

"So for example, yesterday, when I went to the [Rohingya] camps, we invited a number of donors to go with us. We invited the World Bank to go with us who's made some investments in the camps. And we invited some private sector partners, recognizing that we need a wide range of partners to help support," she said.

The IOM DG said they know that the government is challenged by the current population density in Bangladesh of Bangladeshi nationals and the availability of job opportunities or economic for charities for them.

"So that's kind of a starting point for the government. But we do know as a best practice, for any displaced community, there are two things. Our evidence shows that when they have stable shelters, they're more likely to be able to move forward. And it helps to prevent a number of related consequences. So shelters and shelter stability is key," Pope said.

The second is the ability to integrate into the job market, she said, adding that, "So where we've seen better outcomes, it's because people can have access to education, and they can have access to jobs. If not, then they're wholly dependent on humanitarian aid."

And the worry there is that humanitarian aid is decreasing, including to the Rohingya population, frankly, as a result of economies that have been impacted by COVID, and inflation, and other challenges, but also because a number of complex around the world have grown quite considerably over the last several years, so the pressures on the humanitarian system are higher, the DG said.

She said they are encouraging all governments, not just Bangladesh, but any government that is hosting a large number of displaced people to enable them to access the job market so that they are able to build out solutions for themselves and not be so reliant on humanitarian assistance.

"I had the opportunity to discuss the Rohingya crisis in quite a lot of detail with her (PM Sheikh Hasina) and about how we can build out better outcomes, especially for women and girls, who we know are particularly vulnerable right now in the camps," she said.

The IOM DG said the smugglers are very sophisticated when using social media and they see this around the world.

"There are simply not enough regular pathways for people to access, not enough investment in enabling communities to access those regular pathways, or information about what someone needs to do or what skills they might need," she said.

"So if we want to have any hope of countering the digitalization of the smuggling economy, we need to do better at providing access both to regular migration opportunities, but to communities who might otherwise migrate irregularly and help them figure out how to migrate regularly," she added.

She said the mapping around what drives people to migrate is uneven and this is where they are encouraging governments to invest.

"The ideal solution is for every person who's coming across and we need to understand what drove them to migrate, where they're coming from, and when they came. So in some cases, we have a pretty comprehensive displacement tracking matrix," said the DG, adding that "But we are seeing increasingly people are being driven by climate change."

The current United Nations estimate is that there are about 281 million international migrants in the world, which equates to 3.6 per cent of the global population.

But increasing numbers of people are being displaced, within and out of their country of origin, because of conflict, violence, political or economic instability as well as climate change and other disasters.

In 2022, there were 117 million displaced people in the world, and 71.2 million internally displaced people. The number of asylum-seekers has risen from 4.1 million in 2020 to 5.4 million in 2022, an increase of more than 30 per cent.

Pope said making the Rohingyas more self-reliant with a much more comprehensive approach does not mean that they will stay in Bangladesh forever.

"I don't think this means that people will stay forever because what we have heard, especially from the Rohingya people, that they would love to go home. What we hear from the Rohingya is that if they could go home, they will go home. They are not looking to stay forever here in Bangladesh," she told reporters at a separate press conference, noting that the needs in the camps are overwhelming.

Pope described the complex situation and said at this moment going home means risking their (Rohingyas) lives.

She said their goal has to be to come up with a much more comprehensive approach including investment and solutions for people within the camp with increased donor support so that they have more dignity and more self-reliance instead of their reliance on humanitarian aid only.

"Right now the communities are wholly reliant on humanitarian support. So our goal is to bring awareness to the situation to drive engagement with a wide range of donors not relying on the same ones, and to encourage them...," Pope said.

She said they call upon all of the states who are involved in the peace negotiation process to continue to push for peace.

The IOM DG observed that humanitarian support is being stretched across multiple complex and multiple protracted conflicts and one of the best solutions is to increase their self-reliance.

"So our goal is to work with the host community to work with the host government to build self-reliance, particularly when we're in a state of a protracted conflict," she said.

Responding to a question, Pope said it was very clear to her sitting down and listening to the refugees directly about what they had experienced that one of the most significant and growing issues is the security in the camps.

She said they heard from women and girls who are fearful at night that they might be sexually assaulted. "We've heard of families who are concerned about the safety of their children, whether they will be recruited by armed gangs or by other criminal actors. We heard from people who were concerned about abductions and very little resources in order to protect them. So this is a very fundamental fear."

Pope said they know from their work around the world that having a safe and secure shelter is absolutely fundamental to enabling people to have more resilience in the face of enormous stress and enormous pressure.

"So between the security and the protection concerns, particularly for children, women and girls, that was overwhelmingly one of the most significant challenges that I took away after my visit," she mentioned.

Pope said she did have a chance to meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and to speak directly to her about the situation.

"And what I found to be so interesting is that she has lived a story that is not so dissimilar from the refugees that we spoke to. She spoke to me about her own personal experience, where her own family members had been killed and her unique understanding of the challenges and the importance of providing hospitality to the rainbow people," the DG said.

She said their job with their other partners within the UN community with an international community is to make sure the world stays focused on the issue and recognizes its regional importance.

IOM Director General Amy Pope formally released the report in Bangladesh last week, which stands at the "forefront of migration" challenges, including emigration, immigration and displacement.

"We hope the report inspires collaborative efforts to harness the potential of migration as a driver for human development and global prosperity," DG Pope said.

By choosing Dhaka as the report's launch site, IOM not only highlights the country's efforts in supporting vulnerable migrants and fostering pathways for regular migration but also recognizes Bangladesh's important role in shaping global migration discourse and policy, IOM said.

As a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration Champion country, Bangladesh has demonstrated a strong commitment to addressing migration issues and implementing policies that safeguard migrants' rights, it said.

This proactive engagement aligns with IOM's strategic objectives, making Bangladesh an ideal location to launch the 2024 World Migration Report.

Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said as one of the GCM champion countries, Bangladesh will not only continue to act upon the pledges it has made for its domestic context but would also take up emerging issues and challenges pertaining to migration and development for informed deliberations at the international level.

"The World Migration Report 2024 helps demystify the complexity of human mobility through evidence-based data and analysis," Pope said at the launch.

"In a world grappling with uncertainty, understanding migration dynamics is essential for informed decision-making and effective policy responses, and the World Migration Report advances this understanding by shedding light on longstanding trends and emerging challenges."

Of that 831 billion in remittances, 647 billion were sent by migrants to low and middle-income countries. These remittances can constitute a significant portion of those countries' GDPs, and globally, these remittances now surpass foreign direct investment in those countries.

Highlighting key findings, the report reveals that while international migration continues to drive human development, challenges persist.

With an estimated 281 million international migrants worldwide, the number of displaced individuals due to conflict, violence, disaster, and other reasons has surged to the highest levels in modern-day records, reaching 117 million, underscoring the urgency of addressing displacement crises.

Migration, an intrinsic part of human history, is often overshadowed by sensationalized narratives.

However, the reality is far more nuanced than what captures headlines.

Most migration is regular, safe, and regionally focused, directly linked to opportunities and livelihoods.

Yet, misinformation and politicization have clouded public discourse, necessitating a clear and accurate portrayal of migration dynamics.

IOM's World Migration Report, with its innovative digital tools and comprehensive analysis, aims to help dispel myths, provide critical insights, and inspire meaningful action in addressing the challenges and opportunities of human mobility.

This launch is part of IOM Director General's first three-day visit to Bangladesh.

Chief of IOM Mission in Bangladesh Abdusattor Esoev, former Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque, senior government officials and diplomats stationed in Dhaka were present at the report launching ceremony.