I met Sabith in a conference in Mexico City and then he came to my course on the Money Transfer Industry in 2019 and was able to network at the event with industry participants. He was finalizing his book “Remittances and International Development: The Invisible Forces Shaping Community” written with Daisha Merritt. Here is a link to the interview he gave at the event last year: Interview.

Reflecting on the experience of IMTC, Sabith, Roy and myself, we pondered on the absence of a worldwide network of scholars, researchers and students on remittances and migration. One thing let to another and IOREM was born. At the core of the organization is communication between all interested parties in the fields of migrant and worker remittances and the links to diasporas, international migration, seasonal migration, refugees, organized labor agreements, social & economic integration, policies and regulation as well as issues that impact senders and recipients.

Now Sabith has convened a Board of Directors and the non-profit is been organized and we are reaching out to colleagues that want to help us make this dream a reality. We have plans, we are prioritizing, we are forming working groups to discuss initiatives that we care about and we are looking for leaders and committed colleagues in the different countries and regions in the world. Check today’s press release here.

IOREM will help to bridge the gap between academia and industry, between academia and regulators, between research and the companies that are willing to give a hand and help when surveys, data, knowledge, are needed. As any non-profit, IOREM will need funding for projects too. It is a long road ahead and I am proud to help this network get launched.