The European Union "unanimously" backs International Organization for Migration chief Antonio Vitorino to remain as head of the UN's migration agency, the EU's top diplomat said on Friday, reports BSS.
IOM director-general Antonio Vitorino, a former Portuguese minister, is facing a challenge from his American deputy Amy Pope at elections next week.
"The (EU) member states have agreed to support unanimously the candidature of Antonio Vitorino," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said after a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers.
Vitorino, who served as Portugal's deputy prime minister and defence minister in the mid-1990s, took the IOM reins in 2018, breaking decades of US leadership at the organisation.
Pope's bid for the top job has put the United Nations agency in the unusual situation of having a head challenged by a subordinate over what typically would be a shoo-in second term.
Pope has insisted that her decision to run against her 66-year-old boss -- only the second non-American to run IOM in its seven-decade history -- was not about putting Washington's pick back in charge.
She has said she would bring "energy levels and strategic vision and willingness to work really hard" to the job.
Her bid has been strongly backed by US President Joe Biden.
Vitorino landed the job in 2018 after member states rebuffed a candidate accused of anti-Muslim bigotry proposed by then US president Donald Trump.
The IOM is tasked with serving hundreds of millions of migrants worldwide as it advocates for the benefits of humane and orderly migration.
In 2021, the IOM says it helped nearly 32 million people in crisis situations, and provided regular services to millions of others.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
