The international community must act immediately to prevent further human suffering as tensions escalate in the Islamic Republic of Iran and across the Middle East region and beyond, where already fragile displacement situations risk deteriorating further, said Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
IOM's operational team is on the ground and closely monitoring displacement developments in Iran and across the region. The team is on standby to respond, ready to scale up preparedness and operational capacity to deliver lifesaving assistance and protection if needs arise.
"Military escalation would force more families from their homes and hit civilians hard," said DG Pope. "Millions are already displaced in the region. IOM is monitoring the situation and on standby to provide lifesaving assistance where feasible. De-escalation is a humanitarian necessity."
Across the Middle East region, more than 19 million people are already living in internal displacement due to conflict, violence and disasters, according to IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM). The figures underscore the fragility of the region and the risks of further instability.
IOM joins the call of the United Nations Secretary-General for restraint and urgent de-escalation to prevent further humanitarian consequences. Civilians, including migrants and displaced people, must be protected at all times, and international humanitarian law must be fully respected.
IOM urgently calls on donors to scale up funding, including critical support to DTM in key countries affected by funding cuts. Reliable data is the backbone of the humanitarian response. Without it, we cannot effectively reach those most in need.
IOM remains in close coordination with national authorities, UN partners and humanitarian actors, and stands ready to respond rapidly as the situation evolves.
