Manuel Marques Pereira, a Portuguese national, assumed his role as Chief of Mission for IOM Somalia on 1 November 2024. Before this appointment, Mr. Pereira served as Chief of Climate Advocacy and Policy and as Head of the Division for Migration, Environment, Climate Change, and Risk Reduction at IOM’s headquarters in Geneva.

Mr. Pereira’s previous roles at IOM include Deputy Chief of Mission for IOM Bangladesh and Head of Office in Cox's Bazar; National CCCM Cluster Coordinator in Iraq; Regional Programme Manager for Displacement Capacity Building for governments in six Southern African countries; and Humanitarian Shelter Operations Field Coordinator in the Philippines. Earlier in his career, he worked on shelter, displacement management, and early recovery programmes in Pakistan and served in Timor-Leste with IOM, UNDP, and the Portuguese Embassy. His extensive experience in humanitarian settings — working with displacement-affected populations and collaborating with government and partners — informs his current role.

Mr. Pereira holds a master’s degree in Emergency Practice and Development from Oxford Brookes University and a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering. He is fluent in Portuguese, English, Spanish, French, and Tetum.

Session(s):

Building inclusive and peaceful cities on the frontlines of climate change

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