IOM and the University of Panama launch second Diploma in Migration

Panama- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the School of Public Administration of the University of Panama launched the second iteration of the professional development Diploma “Migration, Human Rights, and Public Policy,” which was first offered in 2017.

This time, a focus on emergency response has been incorporated, due to the growing migrant flows from Venezuela as well as from Africa, Asia, Cuba, and Haiti. Nationals of these countries and regions have arrived in Panama in transit to North America, entering the country at the Colombian border in groups containing vulnerable people, such as women with children, unaccompanied children, asylum seekers, people with disabilities, members of the LGTBI community, and victims of human trafficking.

The Diploma is composed of three modules: I) Understanding Migration Processes; II) Human Rights of Migrants and Needs for International Protection; and III) Migration and Public Policy. It is directed towards 30 representatives of public institutions involved in migration issues, civil society organizations, the National College of Attorneys, the National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP), and the National Council of Organized Workers (CONATO). 

The course seeks to create an academic space for reflection, understanding, analysis, and management of migration phenomena with a human rights focus, aimed at forming high-level professionals in the public and private sectors and civil society involved in the formulation, implementation, and monitoring of public policy, and training them to use analytical and conceptual tools relating to public policy.

They will also learn about the principal international standards for human rights and protection and will have a space to exchange their experiences in migration management. 

“In the current situation of the region and the country, it is key for IOM to assist government and civil society entities to build technical capacities for defining policies and actions that consider assistance to migrants and protection of their human rights in the face of possible migration crises,” explained Rocío Dutary, Technical Specialist with IOM Panama.

This diploma is offered within the framework of the Regional Migration Program: Mesoamerica-The Caribbean and the Regional Response Plan for Migrants and Refugees from Venezuela, with the School of Public Administration of the University of Panama.