Balancing Borders and Aid: A New Migration Strategy

Amy Pope, head of the UN migration agency, warns against solely tightening borders and reducing aid to migration-affected countries. She emphasizes the importance of stabilizing origin populations and cites Italy's approach of combining strict border control with legal migration as a commendable strategy.

In a compelling statement, the UN's migration agency director, Amy Pope, cautioned against Western nations' current strategies of tightening borders while cutting development aid. Pope, the first female head of the International Organisation for Migration, stressed the need to stabilize origin countries to effectively manage migration, labeling current policies as "short-sighted."

Pope, speaking at an international conference in Rome, highlighted that European countries are moving towards stricter migration controls, and such measures might destabilize origin countries like Syria further. She warned premature repatriation efforts could backfire, leaving returnees in unstable conditions.

The IOM leader endorsed Italy's balanced approach of strict border enforcement paired with legal migration channels, encouraging other nations to observe its potential success. Pope's comments come amid shifting policies in countries like Greece and the US, which impact migration trends in Latin America.

(With inputs from agencies.)