On the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly, Nasra Ismail, Alight's Executive Director for the U.S. Enterprise, sat with Amy Pope, director general of IOM, America Ferrera, award-winning actress and IOM goodwill ambassador, and Sasha Chanoff, founder of RefugePoint to discuss why migration should be considered as a solution to economic challenges and climate change.
Pope began by describing the escalating displacement crisis, citing 10 million people uprooted in Sudan and 7.5 million in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with climate change further worsening the situation. Ferrera added that migration has been co-opted as a political tool. "We're so far from the humanity of this conversation," Ferrera said, advocating for storytelling that highlights migrants as community builders.
Ismail, a refugee from Somalia, focused on the contributions of refugees. “I come at this work reframing the narrative of refugees as donors,” she said, recalling how her family supported Somalia from the U.S. “The most incredible experience for me was when I returned to Somalia and was told: ‘You were our donor.’”
Ismail also pointed to the empathy shown towards Ukrainian refugees, calling for the same level of understanding for others. Jobs were tied to sponsorship, funding was increased, and the response was marked by a greater sense of understanding. “I want us to unlock more equitable and safe legal pathways for everyone else,” she said.
Sasha Chanoff of RefugePoint added that legal migration is critical to preventing human trafficking and providing safety for migrants, and Pope stressed that better migration policies are essential for both economic growth and achieving climate goals. The panel concluded that migration should be seen not as a crisis, but as a driver of opportunity and global development.
Read the whole story on Devex and watch the panel on YouTube.
