IOM starts Training Programe on Migration Policies at the Regional Conference on Migration

 
Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Other, Panama
23 July, 2020

The new Training Programe on Migration Policies, facilitated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), seeks to strengthen the capacities of public officials of the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM) in the design, implementation and evaluation of public policies on migration . The Program consists of an IOM online course, Migration Trends in Latin America, a panel with international experts and three virtual sessions for technical exchange on migration policies. In this way, it will provide a comprehensive training process to decision makers in the governments of the 11 countries that make up the RCM, as well as to representatives of civil society in the region.

They will have the opportunity to learn about the latest migration trends in the region, discuss recent experiences in the design of migration policies in other regions of the world, share good practices and lessons learned in RCM member countries and use tools to generate data and evidence on migration for the monitoring and evaluation of migration policies.
In order to encourage more comprehensive approaches to migration, each country was invited to nominate five officials for the course, including representation from their migration agencies, ministries of foreign affairs and bodies responsible for national development planning. Representatives from RCM observer agencies and the Regional Network of Civil Organizations for Migration (RROCM) will also participate.

"At IOM, we are convinced that when well managed, migration can be a driver of development for migrants themselves and for their communities in countries of origin, transit and destination," explains Marcelo Pisani, IOM's Regional Director for Central America, North America and the Caribbean. "However, to achieve this, there is a need for migration policies based on evidence and a comprehensive government approach."

The programme opened with a panel on "Innovative Public Policy Responses to New Migration Dynamics", in which Andrew Selee, President of the Migration Policy Institute, Sergio Bueno, Director of the Institute for Migration and Peace Studies, and Marie McAuliffe, Chief of IOM's Migration Policy Research Division, participated. The impact of COVID-19 was also discussed by the panelists.

"We were in a scenario where the mobility of people was constantly increasing, every year. Suddenly, the world comes to a halt and we realize that this is going to last for a while. This moment is indeed a watershed," said Selee. "The last six months have changed the landscape. We are facing a challenging moment where we have to discuss how to strike a balance between protecting the most vulnerable people and responding to the current situation," McAuliffe added.

These activities are carried out within the framework of the Regional Program on Migration Mesoamerica- The Caribbean , with funding from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM). The virtual sessions and online course will continue until August 21.