The government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) tends to ignore requests from the United States to support the American name for the general directorate of the IOM (International Organization for Migration).
Washington even sent candidate Amy Pope to Brasília for meetings, but PT assistants say that the Brazilian vote is consolidated in the re-election of the Portuguese António Vitorino.
The US efforts take place on the doorstep of Lula’s trip to Washington, next Friday (10), for the first meeting of the Brazilian president with the American leader, Joe Biden, at the White House. Although they know that Brazil tends to endorse Vitorino, the democrat’s assistants should reinforce with their Brazilian correspondents during the trip the importance that the Americans attach to Pope’s victory.
She is now Assistant Director for Management and Reform at IOM. Previously, she held migration-related positions in Democratic administrations: she was senior adviser on migration to Biden (2021), assistant adviser for homeland security (2015-17) and senior director for cross-border security (2013-15).
Pope’s main meeting in Brazil was with the secretary general of the Itamaraty, Maria Laura da Rocha. She also met with the national secretary of Justice, Augusto Botelho, and the deputy advisor of the Planalto international advisory, Audo Faleiro. Vitorino, on the other hand, was in Brasilia more than a week ago. As a sign of prestige, he met with Chancellor Mauro Vieira and Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino (PSB).
The election for the command of the IOM, in a process that involves rounds of qualified majority voting, is scheduled for June. If none of the candidates achieves a majority, the candidate with the most votes wins.
With an estimated operating budget of US$1.2 billion (R$6.18 billion), the IOM is a UN agency dedicated to ensuring that migrations take place in a “humane and orderly” manner. With actions aimed at humanitarian support, it has, for example, a mission in Ukraine, where it operates in the donation of generators for heating during the winter, as well as in the distribution of mattresses, blankets and fuel.
In Latin America, among other initiatives, it provides temporary shelters and support centers —with the distribution of basic survival items— for migrants who risk crossing the Darién Strait, between Colombia and Panama, one of the most dangerous routes to travel to the United States.
One of the messages that Pope tried to convey to the Brazilian authorities is that, although it is the name presented by Washington, it does not represent the US immigration policy. A Sheet she reinforced this idea: “I am the candidate of the USA, but I do not represent its policies [migratórias]”.
In the interview, she also made veiled criticisms of Vitorino, her opponent. Questioned about what needs to change in the organization, she defended taking it out of the “20th century”. “We need to get out of the 20th century and into the 21st, right? IOM leadership needs to be fully engaged in traveling to the places where migration is taking place, to work with the communities most impacted by migration. But we can’t do that with the methods old ones. We need to bring in new ideas and energy.”
Vitorino, a veteran of Portuguese politics, is 66 years old. Pope, 48. If she wins the Portuguese, the US will regain control of an organization that the country presided over for decades. In 2018, the current director-general defeated another Washington candidate, Ken Isaacs, nominated by former President Donald Trump – the result was seen as a rejection by UN members of the republican’s migration policy.
Despite the fact that the governments of Brazil and the USA have become closer after Lula’s election, the PT’s advisers, interviewed on condition of anonymity by the Sheet take their support for Vitorino for granted. Although the Portuguese politician launched his candidacy after Pope’s, maintaining command of the organization is one of Lisbon’s foreign policy priorities and has been sewn up behind the scenes.
Last week, Portugal organized a meeting with more than a dozen Latin American ambassadors in Lisbon —including Brazil—, in which Vitorino’s candidacy was strongly defended.
The current director general of the IOM praised the Lula government after his visit to the country. “Brazil has returned to the multilateral sphere and is committed to participating in the various international bodies whose objective is that migrations are regular, orderly and safe,” Vitorino told the Lusa news agency.
The Portuguese also praised Brazil’s return to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration – a mechanism abandoned during the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
