Article shared by Tom McDermott
IOM is often viewed by other UN agencies as the 'canary in the coalmine' when it comes to dealing with pressures from the US Administration. The agency relies on the US for over 40% of its budget. Funding cuts have forced the agency to lay off some 3,000 staff and curtail some projects.
In order to curtail further US funding cuts, IOM has taken two concerning steps:
1) cleared its website and publications of any words the US Administration may find objectionable, including all references to DEI.
2) softened its procurement rules and due diligence with regard to screening partners with records of human rights abuse, and production of goods off-limits in normal UN practice.
Click here for the article
Summary
In an effort to curtail further US cuts, IOM led the way in efforts to remove all references to DEI. According to the article, In recent weeks IOM has "feverishly scrubbed its website of references to diversity, equity and inclusion, and highlighted the work it does to facilitate the return home of refugees from Haiti and Latin America.
This is in contrast to advice by U.N. communications officials who have "counseled their colleagues not to follow IOM’s example by sanitizing their websites to meet U.S. demands, explaining that it won’t work, according to an official who heard the warning. The press will figure it out, and your agency will only be embarrassed. “Please don’t scrub your website,” is the message.
More concerning is a recent push for 'flexibility' in choosing partners. IOM has revised due diligence rules to enable greater flexibility in working with controversial companies.
In February, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) revised its rules for private-sector engagement, removing automatic exclusions for companies involved in systematic human rights abuses, tobacco, or failure to align with U.N. principles. These entities will now be assessed on a case-by-case basis, giving senior managers discretion over partnerships. While an IOM official described this as a softening that could enable deals with problematic sectors, an IOM spokesperson denied any lowering of standards.
Quotes
“The language has softened,” said an IOM official, who spoke to Devex on condition of anonymity.
“This opens the possibility of partnership with problematic sectors if senior leadership agrees.”
A spokesperson for IOM countered that claim, saying “the agency has not lowered its standards.”
The revised policy would give the agency “a more nuanced and context-specific approach to partnership decisions,” according to the internal document reviewed by Devex.
One staff member noted the shift could “create reputational risks and erode trust among partners who expect alignment with U.N. principles.”
Click here for the article
Summary
In an effort to curtail further US cuts, IOM led the way in efforts to remove all references to DEI. According to the article, In recent weeks IOM has "feverishly scrubbed its website of references to diversity, equity and inclusion, and highlighted the work it does to facilitate the return home of refugees from Haiti and Latin America.
This is in contrast to advice by U.N. communications officials who have "counseled their colleagues not to follow IOM’s example by sanitizing their websites to meet U.S. demands, explaining that it won’t work, according to an official who heard the warning. The press will figure it out, and your agency will only be embarrassed. “Please don’t scrub your website,” is the message.
More concerning is a recent push for 'flexibility' in choosing partners. IOM has revised due diligence rules to enable greater flexibility in working with controversial companies.
In February, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) revised its rules for private-sector engagement, removing automatic exclusions for companies involved in systematic human rights abuses, tobacco, or failure to align with U.N. principles. These entities will now be assessed on a case-by-case basis, giving senior managers discretion over partnerships. While an IOM official described this as a softening that could enable deals with problematic sectors, an IOM spokesperson denied any lowering of standards.
Quotes
“The language has softened,” said an IOM official, who spoke to Devex on condition of anonymity.
“This opens the possibility of partnership with problematic sectors if senior leadership agrees.”
A spokesperson for IOM countered that claim, saying “the agency has not lowered its standards.”
The revised policy would give the agency “a more nuanced and context-specific approach to partnership decisions,” according to the internal document reviewed by Devex.
One staff member noted the shift could “create reputational risks and erode trust among partners who expect alignment with U.N. principles.”
The Global Coalition for Social Justice launched last year by the ILO now appears to be dead in the water, because social justice is viewed as 'woke' by the US.
ReplyDelete