Belize

At the LIII Ordinary Meeting of Heads of State of the Central American Integration System (SICA), held on 4 and 5 June in Guatemala, the General Secretariat of SICA presented the executive summary of a regional study on the causes and consequences of migration, developed by IOM with the support of UNHCR. 

Creativity and participatory work are the primary focuses in the communication for development (C4D) processes being implemented in Tapachula, México, Salcajá, Guatemala, San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and Ahuachapán, El Salvador as part of the joint efforts of IOM, local governments, and various actors to improve communities’ access to information about safe migration and local alternatives to irregular migration.

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.

A series of video testimonials will allow you to hear the stories of people who participated in migrant caravans and voluntarily decided, for various reasons, to return to their countries of origin. In October 2018, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) created a special temporary program to assist the voluntary return of migrants stranded in Mexico or Guatemala who lack the necessary resources to return to their homes.   

The human mobility dimension of crises is growing more and more relevant as crisis produce more complex and larger-scale migration flows. However, the response of States and the international community to a migration crisis is often reactive. One of the challenges is to increase the capacities of decision makers to plan and develop contingency plans for large-scale human movements.

The communication pillar of the Regional Migration Program (Mesoamerica Program) of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) will be enhanced by contributions from the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship of Canada. The objective of the collaboration is to expand the information people in northern Central American countries receive about regular migration pathways and the risks of irregular migration. 

The Regional Migration Program: Mesoamerica-The Caribbean of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) participated in three departmental forums during the month of March to commemorate International Women’s Day, organized in conjunction with the Puentes Project and World Vision. 

The forums were titled “Risks of Irregular Migration for Women and Girls” and panelists participated from the Program and other organizations such as UN Women, the Office of the Prosecutor for Human Rights, and the Attorney General’s Office.

The Secretariat against Sexual Violence, Exploitation, and Human Trafficking of Guatemala and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), with support from Lawyers Without Borders, held the first Regional Congress on human trafficking March 5-6 in Guatemala City, addressing the removal and trafficking of human organs and tissues. Experts and prosecutors from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Belize participated.