STATEMENT BY H.E. GEORGES REBELO PINTO CHIKOTI, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC STATES (OACPS) ON THE CANDIDACY OF MR. ANTONIO VITORINO FOR THE POST OF DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION

Brussels, 12 May 2023

On behalf of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), the Secretary-General supports the candidacy of Mr. António Vitorino, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), for re-election.

During his visit to the OACPS Headquarters on 11 May 2023, the OACPS Committee of Ambassadors recalled the strong partnership between the IOM and the OACPS. The OACPS and IOM cooperate in the areas of promoting the positive impact of migration and human mobility, particularly safe, orderly and regular migration, addressing the root causes of internal displacement, which heavily weighs on developing countries, and championing the engagement of diasporas in contributing to the development of their countries of origin. It was under the leadership of Mr. António Vitorino, that the OACPS revised the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the IOM in the margins of the 10th Summit of OACPS Heads of State and Government, held in Luanda in December 2022. This MoU agreement provides the framework for cooperation to address the challenges related to migration faced by Members of OACPS, and to assist with achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The co-organisation of a stakeholders meeting and side-events during the Global African Diaspora Symposium held in Abuja, Nigeria on 27-28 April 2023, under the umbrella of the OACPS Diaspora Platform, illustrate the excellent relationship between IOM and OACPS.

Being a citizen of Portugal, an important Member State of the European Union, which is a strategic partner of the OACPS, and the close and historical relationship between Portugal and the OACPS, facilitated the close working relationship between the OACPS and IOM under the leadership of Mr. António Vitorino.

During his term in Office, Mr. Vitorino has demonstrated visionary leadership, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic, where he continued to put the interests of

migrants at the center of his mandate, and he is considered an effective consensus builder and leader in international fora.

The OACPS congratulates Mr. Vitorino for the significant achievements during his mandate, and H.E. Mr. Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, reaffirms his unconditional support for his re-election bid.