The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday launched a 91 million U.S. dollar appeal to assist approximately 1.2 million migrants and host communities across the Greater Horn of Africa and southern Africa.
The funding request, unveiled in Nairobi under the Regional Migrant Response Plan for the Horn of Africa to Yemen and Southern Africa, is aimed at strengthening humanitarian protection and long-term resilience in regions increasingly shaped by climate shocks, instability and entrenched poverty.
In a video message, IOM Director General Amy Pope underscored the need for sustainable financing to confront escalating migration pressures. She said the plan seeks to safeguard the rights, dignity and livelihoods of migrants and the communities hosting them, while promoting stability and inclusive growth.
Pope described the appeal as both a humanitarian necessity and a strategic investment, calling for resources to translate the response framework into “protection, solutions and hope” for vulnerable populations.
According to IOM, migrants travelling along routes from the Horn of Africa to southern Africa — including women, children and young people — face grave risks such as trafficking, abduction, violence, dehydration and forced labour.
IOM Chief of Staff Mohammed Abdiker said the two regions have emerged as global hotspots for irregular migration. He noted that the new funding would support livelihood initiatives, as well as voluntary return and reintegration programmes for migrants seeking to rebuild their lives at home.