Crisis perceptions in international migration governance – a perpetual motive? A frame analysis of UNHCR and IOM discourse 1951-2022

The UNHCR and the IOM emerged in response to the post World War II migration crisis and have since then institutionalised asylum and migration cooperation between their expanding number of member states. Yet, we know little about how the organisations since their establishment have perceived new crises. Vulnerable groups such as refugees and displaced persons are particularly at risk in times of crises and the facilitation of effective migration management is therefore central to ensure their protection. The perception of crisis can be a catalyst for action, endowing organizations with new budgets and competences. However, crises are disruptions of the status quo and they can challenge existing institutions, firstly, by shifting cooperation towards new institutions or through ad-hoc, informal constellations, and secondly, by limiting the extent to which states wish to cooperate. Through frame analysis, this study focuses on how the main international organizations dealing with migration, the UNHCR and IOM, have appropriated the notion of crisis in their internal and external communication, how this communication relates to external shocks in the environment of these organizations, and which effects crisis frames have had on the organizations' institutional basis. The data consists of an original database including UNHCR annual reports and Executive Committee meeting conclusions from 1958 until today and for IOM. Moreover, we have conducted 15 interviews with representatives from both organizations. The paper contributes to the ongoing debates in IR on the power of international organizations and the effect of crises and crisis narratives as well as the literature on international migration governance by shedding light on the construction of meaning within international organizations dealing with migration and its effect on their power and resources.