UN migration chief warns about populist electioneering

With 2024 set to see more elections worldwide than any previous year, Amy Pope, who last year became the first woman to head the UN’s International Organization for Migration, says increasing anti-migrant rhetoric from politicians seeking to score points is harming societies. Pointing out that the fear-mongering is rarely rooted in what is happening on the ground, Pope told the AFP news agency that some countries where anti-migrant rhetoric is rampant actually need more migrants to keep their societies thriving. “In reality, the need for migration is not only existent,’ she said, “but it is going to increase fairly significantly in future years”.