Over the past six months, we asked you to share what #MigrationMeans to you and the response has surpassed our expectations!

IOM’s first social media campaign has been a resounding success, with many IOM missions contributing or sharing #MigrationMeans posts on Facebook and Twitter.

The aim of the campaign was to show the world that migration has many facets and that the projects that IOM so successfully carries out are all relevant to the meaning of migration.

We received outstanding contributions from all corners of the world from migrants, the general

public, IOM staff, partner agencies, donors and crisis-affected communities.

This campaign has helped to showcase the many diverse areas in which IOM works and highlight IOM’s role as the world’s leading migration agency.

Since the start of the campaign in June 2014, over 4,400 #MigrationMeans posts have been shared via social media, including a Thunderclap campaign for World Humanitarian Day on 19th August, reaching a global audience of over 520,000 people.

On International Migrants Day 2014, the top photos from the #MigrationMeans campaign as determined by popular vote on Facebook will be announced and featured on social media and at IOM HQ.

Help us to identify and tell the stories of Migrant Heroes from every country where IOM works.

In many parts of the world, there is an increasingly negative perception of migrants and their contributions to society. We urgently need to change the lens through which people view migration.

To do so, IOM is launching the #MigrantHeroes social media campaign in 2015 to highlight the many ways in which migrants contribute both to their

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE #MIGRATIONMEANS PHOTO ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE AT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/IOMMIGRATION

countries of origin and their host communities. This will reinforce our existing Contributions of Migrants information campaign in countering misinformation by presenting evidence of success in accessible ways.

In 2015, IOM looks forward to shining a spotlight and celebrating the contribution that individual migrants are making in their new countries. Join us in telling their stories to the world through our #MigrantHeroes campaign!

On December 18th IOM and the world will mark International Migrants Day 2014. Our theme will be “Saving Migrants’ Lives” and our focus will be the global humanitarian challenge posed by the plight of thousands of migrants who die while trying to reach safety.

On International Migrants Day 2013, IOM focused on “Desperation Migration” and produced the first global estimates of the numbers of migrants dying on migratory routes, whether at sea or on land.

New IOM data show that the numbers are increasing and 2014 will be the deadliest year on record. The final figure, when published on December 18th, will likely be close to 5,000 - more than twice the 2,378 deaths we reported last year.

We know that migration – and particularly irregular migration - is a controversial topic around the world. Too often the debate focuses on its perceived negative socio-economic impact on employment and cultural differences.

But we urgently need to change this lens through which people view migration - if we are to save the desperate people who continue to risk their lives migrating in search of safety and a better future. All too often they are exploited by criminals making fortunes in excess of US$1-2 million per boat on the overcrowded, unseaworthy vessels they send unsuspecting migrants to their deaths on.

Specifically we urge the international community to take more responsibility for saving the lives of the thousands of migrants - men, women and children - who undertake dangerous journeys in small boats on rough seas, and on foot across deserts and mountains.

It is unacceptable that anyone fleeing for their life be denied safe haven or rescue. Migrants fleeing war, religious extremism and natural

disasters deserve our empathy – not our indifference.

Migrants contribute greatly both to their countries of origin and their host communities. This new diaspora also has an important role to play in helping their communities back home. They are credible voices whom those contemplating unsafe journeys will listen to. They are a voice of reason in an often tumultuous debate.

IOM’s information campaign highlighting the Contributions of Migrants is crucial in countering misinformation by presenting evidence in readily understandable ways. Better evidence, data and evaluations of the impact of migration policies and programmes are key to countering misconceptions about the real scale and impact of migration.

In 2014 we encouraged IOM missions worldwide to engage in the world of social media with our #MigrationMeans campaign on Twitter and Facebook. IOM missions shared photos of migrants on social media explaining what migration means to the individuals involved.

Success stories are also important and in 2015 IOM will launch the #MigrantHeroes Campaign. IOM will ask the public to nominate “migrant heroes” who have made a significant contribution to society after migrating abroad. I will invite selected winners to participate on the Migrant Voices panel at the 2015 IOM Council in Geneva.

This campaign will allow IOM to put a human face on the narrative that migrants contribute positively in the countries and cities where they live across the globe. I hope that you will actively support it.

William Lacy Swing

a. These figures refer only to deaths that have been reported; unknown numbers are not recorded, and as such this map represents only a base minimum.

b. Based on US Border Patrol data for FY 2014 (1 October 2013—30 September 2014) as reported by Associated Press; official verification pending.

c. Includes deaths occurring in Northern Europe (1), Southeastern Europe (Black Sea, off Turkish coast; 38) and Western Europe (12). Includes deaths occurring in Central America (16), South Asia (1), and Southern Africa (17).

d. Includes deaths occurring in Central America (16), South Asia (1), and Southern Africa (17).Director General

Source of data: IOM calculations based on various sources including media reports, information gathered by IOM Field Offices, data from medical examiner offices, UNHCR (for Bay of Bengal), and US Border Patrol.

*Data until December 12, 2014