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UNITED NATIONS, July 25 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Monday approved the agreement with the International Organization of Migration (IOM), the leading international agency on migration, to join the UN system.
IOM will become a related organization of the UN when both sides sign the agreement on Sept. 19 during a UN summit on migrants and refugees, according to a resolution adopted by the 193-member UN General Assembly.
The agreement has defined how the United Nations and IOM will strengthen cooperation and enhance their ability to fulfill their mandates in the interest of migrants and their member states.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the approval of the agreement marks a major milestone in the long-standing close relationship between the two organizations.
"At a time of growing levels of migration within and across borders, a closer legal and working relationship between the United Nations and IOM is needed more than ever," said a statement released by Ban's spokesperson.
IOM was created in 1951 out of the chaos and displacement of Western Europe following the Second World War.
From its roots as an operational logistics agency, it has broadened its scope to become the leading international agency working with the governments and civil society to advance the understanding of migration issues, encourage social and economic development through migration, and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants.
