IOM in Kuwait

The IOM office in Kuwait was established in 1991, and in 2017 the State of Kuwait joined IOM as an observer state. Since its establishment, the office has worked in close partnership with the Government of Kuwait on migration governance including strengthening the capacity of relevant national counterparts on protection of victims of trafficking. IOM has organized several workshops and awareness-raising campaigns on the topic of human trafficking and the rights of domestic workers. IOM continues to offer technical expertise in associated programmatic areas, including migrant protection and labor migration as well as the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration (GCM).

The GCM was adopted by the State of Kuwait in December 2018 at the General Assembly, during an intergovernmental conference on international migration. This indicates the efforts of the State of Kuwait towards achieving safe, orderly and regular migration. In alignment, the first UN Network for Migration (UNNM) in the Gulf region was established in Kuwait and led by the UN Migration agency, in close coordination with the UN Resident Coordinator Office (UNRCO).

IOM in Kuwait is involved in the planning and intervention of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework between the United Nations and the government of Kuwait. The goal is to achieve the Kuwait National Development Plan 2035, and the Sustainable Development Goals. Under this domain, IOM will be focus on addressing any topics under the field of migration. The SDGs tackled by IOM under this framework are: 1,3, 4, 5,8, 10, 11, 16 and 17.

IOM Kuwait is also a resource mobilization mission for humanitarian operations around the world. The State of Kuwait has been a long-standing partner and donor for IOM programmes addressing the needs of displaced and affected populations in many countries including Syria, Türkiye, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Ukraine and other countries.