What Is a Migration Crisis?

Join the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs for a webinar with Brian Kelly, head of the Community Stabilization Unit for the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

A migrant person is someone who moves away from their place of usual residence, whether within a country or across an international border, temporarily or permanently, for a variety of reasons. A country or a region facing a crisis produces increasingly complex and often large-scale migration flows and mobility patterns. These typically expose affected populations to significant vulnerabilities and generate serious and longer-term migration management challenges. The challenges can exist at home, while in transit, upon arrival at a destination, during a return process, or throughout.

During this webinar, Kelly will highlight the unique characteristics associated with people on the move, emphasizing protection concerns. The migration corridors linking West Africa to North Africa and Europe will be explored, the stories of some migrants who have undertaken this journey will be shared, and the humanitarian and policy implications will be discussed.

About the Speaker
Prior to his position at the Community Stabilization Unit, based in Washington D.C., Kelly was the regional emergency and post crisis advisor at the IOM Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. He has been with IOM since 2000 and has worked in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Nepal, Iraq, Pakistan, and elsewhere. Specializing in humanitarian operations, community stabilization, peace-building, reintegration, and the coordination of relief-and-recovery programming, he helps governments, the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector support vulnerable populations and stabilize communities.