At the Bahamas signing of MOU with the International Organization for Migration, September 26, from left: H.E. Mr. Picewell Forbes, High Commissioner of The Bahamas to the Caribbean Community; H.E. Dr. Elliston Rahming, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of The Bahamas to the United Nations and the Organization of American States; The Hon. Frederick Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration of The Bahamas; Mr. William Lacy Swing, Director General of the International Organization for Migration; Ms. Lea Matheson, Deputy Permanent Observer of the International Organization for Migration to the United Nations.

The Hon. Frederick Mitchell, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration of The Bahamas, and Mr. William Lacy Swing, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the Permanent Mission of The Bahamas to the United Nations, New York, on the morning of September 26, 2014.

The agreement represents a framework for cooperation between the Government of The Bahamas and the IOM in matters of mutual concern in relation to migration management.

The draft builds on a memorandum of understanding previously signed between the two sides in 2009. Going forward, the areas of work to be considered in this context include support for recent bilateral accords with neighbours such as Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

The IOM is an intergovernmental body, established in 1951, which partners with the international community to assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration, including by seeking to advance understanding of migration issues, encouraging social and economic development through migration and upholding the human dignity and well-being of migrants.