Panama prepare to assume the Pro-Tempore Chair of the Regional Conference on Migration, with IOM support

 
3 September, 2017

On November 29, 2017, Panama will assume the Pro-Tempore Presidency of the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM) with the responsibility of contributing to the UN Global Compact in regards to safe, regular and orderly migration.

To support the efforts of the Panamanian agencies, IOM developed a specialized course on migration given by regional and national experts. During the 80-hour course, which will take place under coordination of the Diplomatic Academy, experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Public Security; National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents and Families; National Migration Service; National Border Service; National Police; National Naval Service; and the Public Prosecutor’s Office will analyze migratory phenomena through a human rights approach.

The aim is to strengthen the technical capacities of public sector officials who will support the efforts of the Panamanian agencies during the RCM presidency. The training will cover topics such as protection needs of migrants, regional guidelines for the preliminary identification of profiles and referral mechanisms for vulnerable migrant populations in the RCM, migration issues in multilateral forums, and the preparation of an action plan for the exercise of the Pro-Tempore Presidency.

The Deputy Director of Legal Affairs and Treaties, Nadia Montenegro de Detresno, explained that the Pro-Tempore Presidency is recognition of Panama’s efforts in recent years on migration issues at the regional level, and will reflect Panama’s position on the Global Compact, on the fight against human trafficking, and against the smuggling of migrants.

Luis Alonso Serrano, Coordinator of the Technical Secretariat of the RCM, underlined Panama’s commitment to uphold representation of the 11 member countries of the regional body at this key juncture with the Global Compact, while underlining the assistance the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has provided to help meet the objectives that have been set in terms of migration in its current form.

The RCM is an intergovernmental forum that supports participating countries with dialogue and cooperation on migration issues of common interest. In 2014, the RCM published regional guidelines for the preliminary identification of profiles and reference mechanisms for vulnerable migrant populations to provide a general framework to implement mechanisms for the identification and referral of migrants in vulnerable conditions.

This initiative, supported by the IOM´s Mesoamerica Program and funded by the Office of Population, Refugees and Migration of the Department of State of the United States, strives to strengthen government and civil society capacities for safe, orderly, and regular migration.