IOM and Galen University in Belize build the capacities for migration management

Belize is a country of origin, transit, and destination for migrants. Migrants make up 14.8% of its population; thus, building capacities for migration management is particularly important. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), in coordination with Galen University, taught a course on “Best Practices in Migration Management” as part of the university’s diploma in Migration Management.

The 40-hour course was held from May 13-18 in Belmopan, and its goal was to strengthen capacities for the development of procedures and policies and to support the implementation of best practices to improve migration management in Belize, in order to promote the development of a comprehensive National Migration and Development Policy. For this purpose, diverse perspectives were covered, such as: Human rights, mixed migration flows, factors that influence migration, international organized crime, emergencies, and migration management.

Participants in the course included officials from the Department of Immigration, the Police Department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Human Development of Belize. It was conducted by Graciela Incer, Technical Specialist of the Regional Migration Program: Mesoamerica - The Caribbean.

“The course gave me a better understanding of the challenges of migration management, and I am eager to put the knowledge I have gained this week into practice,” commented Inspector Constant Pascascio, a participant from the Police Department.

For her part, Graciela Incer emphasized that, “the course is highly important because it acts as an introduction at the conceptual level to best practices in migration management.  Students learn about a wide variety of topics, from different vulnerable profiles to migration governance, as well as more specialized topics.  Additionally, they learn to apply their knowledge through case studies and role play.”

The course will be replicated twice in June, and these two sessions will be offered to officials from other government institutions interested in the topic, to train a total of 25 officials per group.

This activity was made possible by financing from the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) of the Department of State of the United States, within the framework of the Western Hemisphere Regional Migration Program (Mesoamerica-The Caribbean), implemented by IOM.