Elizabeth (Liz) Warn has worked for IOM since 2001. Since June 2022, she has been Head of the Labour Mobility Unit. In this role, she leads IOM’s global work on labour mobility, supporting governments to develop safe, orderly and regular labour migration systems that respond to labour market needs while protecting migrant workers’ rights. Her work focuses on labour migration governance, skills mobility, employer engagement, skills partnerships, and innovative approaches to expanding regular pathways for international mobility.
Prior to joining IOM Headquarters, Liz was Deputy Chief of Mission in Ukraine, one of IOM’s largest country missions, where she oversaw IOM programming and engagement with the UN system. She previously served as Senior Regional Immigration and Border Management Specialist for Southern Africa and the Horn of Africa, advancing IOM’s work on trade and migration.
Earlier in her career, Liz held regional and headquarters positions on labour migration, migration and development, and migration governance, including as Senior Regional Labour Migration and Migration and Development Specialist for South America and as Labour Migration and Migration and Development Specialist at IOM Headquarters in Geneva. She began her career with IOM in Albania, supporting the development of the country’s first National Migration Strategy and implementation of the EU–Albania Readmission Agreement.
Elizabeth holds a BA in Politics from the University of Sheffield, an MA in International Relations and European Studies from Central European University (CEU), and an MSc in Development Management from The Open University (UK). She is a dual British and Italian national and speaks English, Italian and Spanish.