International Organization for Migration (Indonesia)

IOM operations in Indonesia date back to 1979 with the processing of Vietnamese boat people arriving in Tanjung Pinang, Riau. Since then, IOM activities in Indonesia have expanded significantly both in terms of their geographic reach and target populations. IOM Indonesia is currently one of IOM’s largest global missions with field offices located across the country, including the capital Jakarta, as well as Banda Aceh in the westernmost province of Aceh and Jayapura at the easternmost province of Papua.

With a population of almost 240 million across an archipelago spanning 5,000 kilometres and comprising 17,600 islands, Indonesia is a prime source, destination, and transit country for migrants. Internally, complex migration patterns are influenced by natural disasters, demands for labour in what is a rapidly developing country, and economically driven migrations related to climate change and environmental degradation.

IOM Indonesia has built on its close working relationship with the Government of Indonesia, local government institutions, partners in the non-government sector, and local communities to support national and regional capacity-building efforts and to provide direct assistance to migrants in need. IOM has built on the strengths of its history in Indonesia to grow the Organization’s operations in accordance with the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society.