As irregular migration routes continue to claim lives worldwide, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is calling for faster, coordinated action by governments, international partners, and the private sector at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2026 to protect people on the move and make migration safer and more orderly.
Record levels of displacement are placing significant pressure on national migration governance systems and host communities. When these systems fail or are overwhelmed, risks of exploitation, trafficking, and loss of life increase, with consequences that extend beyond humanitarian concerns to social cohesion, economic stability, and security.
"When countries work together to create ways for people to move legally for work, fewer people feel forced to take dangerous, irregular routes," said IOM Director General Amy Pope, speaking at the event. "Sustained investment in effective systems will protect the vulnerable and reduce reliance on smugglers and traffickers, while still respecting the sovereignty of every nation to govern its own borders and determine its own migration policies."
Across Europe and globally, governments are navigating complex migration dynamics while responding to public concerns, resource constraints, and evolving security challenges. Addressing these pressures requires practical, collaborative solutions that protect people on the move while enabling effective, orderly border governance.
IOM works with governments and partners across crisis, recovery, and development settings to save lives and reduce vulnerability. This includes delivering emergency assistance and protection to migrants and displaced people at immediate risk, strengthening migration management systems, expanding safe and regular pathways, supporting access to decent work and livelihoods, and helping communities adapt to climate and economic shocks that drive displacement.
Through partnerships with governments, multilateral actors, the private sector, and philanthropy, IOM advances practical, data-informed approaches that translate policy commitments into operational impact. These collaborations focus on prevention, protection, and resilience, offering cost-effective alternatives to repeated emergency response while supporting longer-term stability and inclusion.
At MSC 2026, IOM is engaging with political leaders, institutional partners, and private sector actors to strengthen alignment on actionable next steps, including co-financed initiatives, scalable delivery models that can be implemented beyond the conference. The focus is on solutions that reduce vulnerability, address root causes, and reinforce migration governance while upholding human rights standards and respecting national sovereignty.
MSC provides a critical platform to move from dialogue to delivery, ensuring that migration is addressed as a shared responsibility and an integral part of the global security and resilience agenda.
