Geneva/Ottawa – The Government of Canada announced today that they have reached their commitment to resettle more than 40,000 Afghan refugees with the assistance of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

IOM has worked closely with the Government of Canada and other partners to safely resettle Afghans in the country since August 2021. 

“We are deeply honored to help Canada bring in tens of thousands of vulnerable Afghans to safety,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope. 

“Throughout our 70-year journey as an organization, supporting the safe and dignified resettlement of refugees has remained at the heart of IOM’s global mission. We have worked tirelessly with governments and partners to ensure refugees have every chance to thrive in their new communities.” 

Throughout its history, IOM has assisted in the resettlement of over 6.4 million people through several programmes, including refugee resettlement, humanitarian admission, relocation with Europe, family relocation, and other pathways.  

Canada was among the first countries to launch a special humanitarian resettlement programme for vulnerable Afghans, including women leaders, human rights defenders, persecuted ethnic or religious minorities, LGBTI+ individuals, and journalists. 

“The horrors faced in Afghanistan at the hands of the Taliban are ongoing, and the impacts to the rights and freedoms of the Afghan people, specifically women and girls, knows no bounds,” said the Honourable Marc Miller, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.  

“Meeting our commitment does not mean our work ends here. We will continue to work with our key partners to bring vulnerable Afghans to safety and help them build their new lives in communities across Canada.” 

This achievement is the result of hard work and collaboration between IOM, the Government of Canada, NGOs, and other organizations operating in the region. IOM plays a crucial role in the resettlement process, including coordinating resettlement flights, assisting with the application process, and providing pre-departure health assessments and pre-departure orientation sessions to prepare Afghans for their new lives in Canada. IOM also facilitates their travel to their new home communities around the country. 

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For more information, please contact:  

In Geneva:  
Diego Pérez Damasco, email: diperez@iom.int; Tel: +41 79 582 72 35  

In Ottawa:  
Ahmad Fahim, email: afahim@iom.int; Tel: +1 613 237 0651