Head of UN migration agency says it reaps funds, but worries about politics loom over aid groups

GENEVA (AP) — The head of the U.N. migration agency said Thursday it has taken in hundreds of millions of dollars in new funding and diversified its donor base — an announcement that comes as aid groups have struggled to get needed money.

Results of elections worldwide, however, are also raising questions about future support, said Amy Pope, a former migration adviser to President Joe Biden who received his support for her successful campaign last year to lead the International Organization for Migration.

Pope said she’s focused on addressing all the complexities of migration — and has warned that many migrants have risked and lost their lives on perilous journeys.

“This is not about representing the Biden administration,” said Pope in an interview at IOM’s Geneva headquarters. “This is about bringing a comprehensive, 360-degree approach to the issue of migration, recognizing that narrowing it down to one slice of a migrant’s journey is a significant mistake.”

The IOM director-general said she resists attempts to “boil down the issue of migration simply to managing the border, because I think that’s a huge strategic mistake for governments that plays into some of the politics we’re seeing — leading to very, very negative consequences.”

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