1 NOVEMBER 2022 – CAIRO. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) today welcomes Director General António Vitorino’s appointment of Othman Belbeisi as the new Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region based in Cairo, Egypt.

“Mr. Belbeisi brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise on issues related to migration to the role of Regional Director,” said DG Vitorino. “I have every confidence in his strong leadership, solid guidance and impact for the MENA region.”

Prior to this appointment, Mr. Belbeisi served as the Senior Regional Adviser (SRA) for the Middle East and North Africa as part of the Executive Office in IOM Headquarters. He has been with IOM since 2003 and has previously served as the Chief of Mission in Libya and Lebanon, and carried out multiple senior leadership tasks across the region.

A Jordanian national, during his two-decade-long career with IOM, Belbeisi has been deployed to various MENA countries on numerous assignments. He served as emergency coordinator for the Syrian and the Libyan crises, and since 2022 he served as the Organization’s Special Envoy for Iraq.

“I am delighted to assume my role as regional director for the MENA, a region I worked in for years and have a great passion for. It is a dynamic region whose history is shaped by migration,” said Belbeisi. “Building on existing achievements, my priorities will focus on strengthening partnerships with governments and regional organizations, improving migration data, supporting the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in the region, and contributing to the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals through well-developed migration strategies.”

For more information, please email: mmabunajela@iom.int