Honduras: COPECO AND SINAGER Better Prepared for the Protection of Migrants During Emergencies

Tegucigalpa (Honduras), June 25, 2021 - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Permanent Contingency Commission of Honduras (COPECO) articulated efforts to develop a series of workshops to ensure the assistance and protection of migrants in emergency preparedness and response. 

In an initial workshop, using the methodology of "Training of Trainers", IOM trained 25 Civil Protection volunteers and COPECO staff. Subsequently, the participants themselves replicated the acquired knowledge with 65 more staffmembers from the National Risk Management System (SINAGER) and COPECO, at both the central and local levels. 

The facilitators promoted a reflection on the migratory reality based on an analysis of the context and reasons that drive people to migrate, as well as the risks and conditions of vulnerability they face during the migration cycle. Similarly, the workshops addressed the effective inclusion of migrants in preparedness, response, and recovery through culturally appropriate assistance free of discrimination in emergency situations, regardless of a person’s migration status.  

"As part of the Civil Protection team we must achieve the integration of each of the persons involved in an emergency to effectively comply during the immediate response to those affected by any disaster," said Kimberly Centeno, Training Technician of the National Research and Training Center for Contingency Management (CENICAC).  

The trainings were carried out virtually between June 17 and 25, under a methodology with a participatory learning approach, where participants played an active role in capacity building through knowledge sharing and practical activities. 

This activity was conducted within the framework of IOM’s Western Hemisphere Program, funded by the United States Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.