A/68/283 108. OHCHR has a robust mandate in relation to the human rights of migrants. However, the Office currently has limited human and financial resources to carry out this mandate. 4. Integrating the International Organization for Migration into the United Nations, with a revised mandate 109. The Global Commission on International Migration noted in its report that it would seem logical for IOM to become part of the United Nations system in order to maintain coherence and consistency within the multilateral system. 110. IOM already works very closely with the United Nations, including as a member of the Global Migration Group, and in many countries IOM is part of the United Nations country teams. Integrating IOM into the United Nations thus seems like an effective way to create a United Nations organization for migration. 111. Bringing IOM inside the United Nations could also lead to a more positive role taken by IOM, including holding the organization accountable for any human rights violations in which it may be involved in relation to, inter alia, the detention and return of migrants. 112. However, in order to include IOM in the United Nations, its mandate would need to be considerably revised, with a solid basis in the international human rights framework, and its entire staff, including in all field presences, would need to be properly trained in this regard. IOM would need to be given a legal protection mandate and guided by the core international human treaties, including the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, and the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations would need to be integrated into its Constitution. It would also be important for IOM to gain the membership of key countries which are currently observer States. 113. Furthermore, IOM should ensure that in principle and in practice, it does not and will not carry out any activities which are contrary to international human rights law and to the principles of the Charter. It should therefore cease any activities in relation to the construction and operation of detention centres. Rather, the Special Rapporteur urges IOM to operationalize alternatives to detention (see A/HRC/20/24). IOM should also ensure that all its assisted voluntary return programmes are genuinely voluntary and carried out in strict compliance with human rights standards. 114. In addition, predictable funding should be made available to IOM, rather than project-driven funding provided by States for specific undertakings. Currently, more than 97 per cent of IOM funding is in the form of voluntary contributions for projects: thus, the donor States have a large role in determining the organization’s work and priorities. 115. The Special Rapporteur believes that the proposal to bring IOM inside the United Nations system is worthy of further discussions, taking into consideration the issues raised above. However, any halfway solution that would amount to giving IOM the role of lead agency, either outside the United Nations system or inside it but without insisting on the development of a proper protection mandate, should be avoided. Furthermore, if IOM were to be integrated into the United Nations system and entrusted with a protection mandate, its work would still need to be coordinated 13-42115 21/26

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