Geneva: Amy Pope of the United States pushed her European boss aside on Monday to take over as the IOM's top executive, making history by becoming the first woman to head the UN migration agency.

Pope, 49, defeated Antonio Vitorino of Portugal, the European Union candidate, who swept into the post five years ago by outdoing a nominee put forth by the Trump administration for a position that has long been held by Americans. Pope is the director general of the International Organisation for Migration.

Pope won the first round on a vote of 98-67, with strong support from the Biden administration, casting a shadow over Vitorino's chances for a second term. After the lunch break, word spread that Vitorino had withdrawn from the competition.

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After member states decided to disregard what was suddenly a formality—the IOM rules requiring a two-thirds majority to win an election—his withdrawal made it possible for Pope to win by acclamation.

I could not be happier to stand before you today to begin that work, and it's an incredible time to lead the International Organisation for Migration," she told reporters following the secret ballot voting behind closed doors and a speech to delegates that followed.

Pope and Vitorino greeted each other as they arrived for the announcement of her victory, shaking hands and grinning. She is anticipated to begin her five-year term on October 1st, according to a statement from the IOM.

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The confrontation was unusual because Pope was trying to unseat her boss in a battle of allies. Portugal and the United States are both NATO allies.

The decision also brings to an end a renewed effort by the Biden administration to keep or reclaim top positions in UN organisations, including the International Telecommunication Union, the World Food Programme, and UNICEF, in recent months — after the Trump administration largely shunned several Geneva institutions.

In a statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Ms. Pope's election "reflects a broad endorsement by member states of her vision to keep people at the centre of IOM's mission, while implementing key governance and budget reforms to ensure IOM is prepared to meet the challenges it faces."

Since the International Organisation for Migration was established 72 years ago, eight of the organization's ten directors general have been Americans. Nearly 19,000 employees of the organisation work in 171 nations to support "humane and orderly" migration.

Pope said that the situation at the southern US border serves as a stark reminder of the need for a much more all-encompassing approach to migration. Many of those migrants have experienced extraordinary hardships.

Many of its 560 field offices' responsibilities include giving migrants food, water, shelter, and assistance with government-mandated paperwork. Additionally, the agency provides governments with vast amounts of data about population flows and advises them on policy choices.

Supporters praised Vitorino for increasing the IOM's budget and staff, assisting in the hiring and promotion of more women into top positions, and reaching out to developing nations.

Similar to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Vitorino, 66, is a former European Union commissioner for home and justice affairs as well as the head of a think tank.

In the beginning of President Joe Biden's administration, Pope, a former prosecutor, advised him on immigration. Most recently, Pope served as Vitorino's deputy for reform and management.

The IOM is facing difficulties due to mass migration, and the US and the EU are both major donors. Critics accuse the EU of not doing enough to stop migrants from travelling to Europe by dangerous boat across the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa.

Concerns about how changes to US immigration law will affect people attempting to cross the US-Mexico border have been expressed by the Geneva-based UNHCR, the UN refugee agency (which overlaps somewhat with what IOM does), and others.

Pope alluded to the challenges faced by migrants who travel across central America to reach the United States, but she is likely to come under extra scrutiny if she criticises any alleged errors in Biden's immigration policy.

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I don't work for the United States government, I'm the director-general of the International Organisation for Migration, she declared. In my opinion, it is crucial that we as a company criticise practises, regardless of where they originate, and state whether they are effective or ineffective.

IOM, which has 175 members, is addressing mass migration crises in a variety of locations, including Bangladesh, Ukraine, Sudan, and South American countries that border Venezuela.