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A6 WORLD NEWS
Monday 15 May 2023

Election at UN migration agency pits its

European chief against his American deputy

neighbors in Latin America. many. Vitorino is a former She has touted her role in
The organization has nearly EU commissioner for Home pushing through a bud-
19,000 staffers working in and Justice Affairs and get reform that drew a $75
171 countries to promote think-tank chief, who cut his million commitment from
“humane and orderly” mi- teeth early in politics as a governments to improve
gration. Portuguese Socialist, much field delivery and risk man-
Its job in many of its 560 like U.N. Secretary-General agement. Her backers say
field offices worldwide is to Antonio Guterres. more change is needed to
provide support — food, Supporters credit Vitorino help IOM adapt to growing
water, shelter, and help with doing more to hire migration challenges and
Deputy Homeland Security Adviser Amy Pope listens as President
Barack Obama speaks in the Oval Office at the White House in with government-imposed and promote women with- diversify funding sources.
Washington, May 20, 2016. paperwork — to migrants. in IOM, improve dialogue Under Biden, the United
Associated Press The agency also collects with African countries and States has sought greater
and shares vast amounts of help draw contributions engagement with the Unit-
By JAMEY KEATEN change. data about flows of people that saw its budget grow ed Nations and is trying to
Associated Press The U.S. and the European to governments, and ad- nearly 20 percent between slot Americans into top U.N.
GENEVA (AP) — He’s Eu- Union — both major funders vises them on policy deci- 2019 and 2021, to $2.5 bil- posts.
ropean. She’s American. of IOM — are facing chal- sions. lion, and staffing levels Last fall, Doreen Bogdan-
He runs the U.N. migration lenges with migration. Crit- To win under IOM rules, a grow by nearly 40 percent Martin defeated a Russian
agency. She wants his job. ics fault the EU for failing to candidate needs to gar- from 2019 through last year. rival to take the top job at
International Organiza- do more to prevent often- ner votes from two-thirds of The U.S. administration has the International Telecom-
tion for Migration director- deadly trips by migrants countries that cast ballots thrown its weight behind munications Union — suc-
general Antonio Vitorino of trying to cross the Mediter- in closed-door proceed- the candidacy of Pope, a ceeding its Chinese chief.
Portugal faces what could ranean from north Africa to ings. Tradition has been former migration adviser This year, Cindy McCain,
be a tight race against Europe by boat. The U.N. that IOM chiefs get a sec- to President Joe Biden. It the widow of former presi-
his Biden administration- refugee agency and oth- ond term, but Vitorino has is seeking to claw back dential hopeful John Mc-
backed deputy, Amy ers have expressed con- not lined up support from the job for the U.S.: Eight Cain, became head of the
Pope, as member coun- cern about how changes all 27 member countries of of the 10 IOM directors- U.N.’s World Food Program.
tries of the Geneva-based to U.S. migration law will af- the European Union. general since the agency Both candidates for the
agency choose its chief for fect people trying to cross Vitorino swept into the job was founded 72 years ago IOM job have been ramp-
the next five years on Mon- the Mexican border into in 2018 after IOM member have been American. ing up travel abroad, me-
day. the United States. countries rebuffed a candi- Pope, IOM’s deputy direc- dia appearances and so-
The election comes as mi- But IOM, which counts 175 date put up by the Trump tor for reform and manage- cial-media posts in recent
grants have been on the member countries, is also administration, which ment, is vying to become months. Pope jumped into
move like never before, grappling with mass migra- pulled the U.S. out of the the agency’s first woman the race months before Vi-
driven from their homes by tion crises far beyond — in U.N.’s main human rights chief. She’s a former pros- torino, who let the suspense
factors including conflict, places as diverse as Ban- body, shunned globalism ecutor and most of her ca- linger until Portugal an-
economic distress and the gladesh, Ukraine, Sudan and espoused an “Ameri- reer was spent working for nounced his re-election bid
growing impacts of climate and among Venezuela’s ca First” policy that rankled the U.S. government. late last year.q

China and Russia are increasing their military collaboration

By KARL RITTER and DAVID regions and the existing or- “In addition, China and
KEYTON der which has underpinned Russia are strengthening
Associated Press our peace and prosper- their military collaboration,
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Japa- ity could be fundamentally including joint flights of their
nese Foreign Minister Yoshi- overturned,” Hayashi said. bombers and joint naval
masa Hayashi expressed Japan firmly backs Ukraine exercises in the vicinity of
concern Saturday about in the war but China says it Japan,” Hayahshi said.
Russian and Chinese mili- remains neutral while de- China, which claims most
tary cooperation in Asia claring a “no limits” rela- of the South China Sea as
and said the security situa- tionship with Moscow and well as Japanese-held is-
tion in Europe could not be blaming the U.S. and NATO lands in the East China Sea,
separated from that in the for provoking the conflict. says it has the right to de-
Indo-Pacific region since Japanese Prime Minister fend its sovereignty and
Moscow’s full-scale inva- Fumio Kishida visited the development interests.
sion of Ukraine. Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in Hayashi also warned that
Speaking at a meeting of March at the same time as North Korea was “escalat-
European and Indo-Pacific Chinese President Xi Jinping ing provocations” in the re- Yoshimasa Hayashi, center, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Japan,
foreign ministers in Swe- met Russian counterpart gion by conducting ballis- is received by Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom, left,
den, Hayashi said Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Moscow. tic missile launches “with a and European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and
war in Ukraine had “shak- Hayashi accused Beijing of frequency and in a manner Security Policy Josep Borrell for an EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial
en the very foundation of “continuing and intensify- that are unprecedented.” Forum in connection to an informal meeting of EU foreign affairs
ministers in Marsta outside Stockholm, Satursay, May 13, 2023.
the international order” ing its unilateral attempts” He joined dozens of min- Associated Press
and must face a united re- to change the status quo isters from the European
sponse by the international in the East and South China Union and the Indo-Pacific to the talks. and the security situation
community. seas by force and increas- region for the meeting just “Since the aggression of in the Pacific are not sepa-
“Otherwise, similar chal- ing its military activities north of the Swedish capi- Russia to Ukraine, the secu- rable,” Hayashi said as he
lenges will arise in other around Taiwan. tal. China was not invited rity situation here in Europe arrived. q