​Israel actively participated in the 106th Council Session of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), held from 24 to 27 November 2015 in Geneva, and delivered a statement.

Thank you Mr. Chairman.

As others before us, we join them in welcoming (i) Sao Tome and Principe, (ii) Saint Kitts and Nevis, (iii) Republic of Kiribati, (iv) Eritrea and (v) Saint Lucia as Members of the Organization.

Once again, Israel thanks the Director-General for his solid leadership and direction of the organization. Israel also wishes to extend the thanks to the IOM staff for their hard work and continuous dedication.

As the Director-General has said, it seems that 2015 has been the "year of the migrant", and in that context Israel commends the IOM for the leading role it has played in the crises we have seen over the year, especially in relation to the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean basin. Israel also praises IOM's work with displaced communities in the Middle East.

Mr. Chairman, Israel bestows great value to the close partnership with the IOM. In this regard, we would like to highlight, among others, joint project of IOM, UNHCR, CIMI and the Israeli government in combating labor trafficking, which includes research and training activities. Israel would welcome the continuation of this project.

Moreover, MASHAV, Israel's Agency for International Development has a long history of cooperation with the IOM through joined capacity building activities around the following issues: human trafficking, immigrant integration, migration & gender, and diaspora engagement.
 
Israel is a country that was established on integrating and absorbing immigrants and Jewish refugees from across the globe. In that process, Israel has learned important lessons about direct absorption that reduces long-term dependence on the welfare state. Israel stands ready to continue sharing its expertise in the field of immigrant integration. 

Mr. Chairman,Israel supports IOM's efforts to improve cooperation with other relevant bodies, and in this respect agrees with the ongoing dialogue with the UN and the text of the resolution presented during this session. Additionally, Israel welcomes the advances proposed in topics such as migrant's health, gender equality and partnership with the private sector.

We appreciate the opportunity to participate in this General Debate, and we hope it will be a space where the many current challenges can be addressed and the actions required to face them can be discussed.

As the Director-General and other delegations have mentioned, the recent adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development represents a landmark to shape the action of the organization and its members. Consequently, we hope that the development of the IOM continues, now with a leading action in the implementation of the SDGs, specifically in relation to the migration-related targets.

I thank you.