Costa Rica

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) trained staff of the Municipal Emergency Committee of Talamanca, Costa Rica, on the importance of incorporating the migrant population in emergency plans and programmes. The activity addressed the current context of national and international migration, care and protection for vulnerable groups, migrants in emergency situations, and strategies to assist and include this population. 

This April, Costa Rica held the First Annual Meeting of Local Working Groups for the Integral Fight against Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants. The activity included a presentation of the results of the work that the groups have conducted since they were formed last year, and the needs identified at the local level to combat these crimes.   

The Government of Mexico, as Pro-Tempore Chair of the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM), with the support from IOM and ILO promoted an exchange to support the design, implementation and follow-up of labour migration mechanisms within the framework of this multilateral forum. The exchange is the first part of the "Conversation for the exchange of good practices in the recruitment and labour protection of migrants".

In recent months there has been a substantial increase in migration flows from Central America to North America, making it increasingly necessary to expand the coverage of secure information channels. Chief among these are the migration information hubs, which in the first quarter of 2021 alone, reported to IOM to have assisted more than 12,000 people in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.   

On March 19, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Costa Rica trained the staff of the Municipality of Talamanca on the crime of trafficking in persons. The training was conducted in coordination with the General Directorate of Migration and Aliens (DGME), through the Municipal Center for Migrants in Talamanca.  

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Costa Rica, in coordination with the Municipality of Desamparados and the Institute for Municipal Promotion and Consulting (IFAM), conducted two virtual lectures on Digital Commerce to train entrepreneurs of this canton, and promote their adaptation to the challenges posed by the pandemic.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) made an important donation of equipment and materials for immediate response to emergencies to the Community Emergency Committee of Frailes, in the canton of Desamparados, San José. It also gave a talk to raise awareness about the integral approach in emergency situations and the importance of including the migrant population in emergency preparedness and response.  

IOM considers that data protection is fundamental to support its operations, as it is key to the respect of human dignity and the right to privacy of individuals. In the framework of January 28, International Data Protection Day, IOM, from the Western Hemisphere Program, shares with the Information Hubs on Migration of the region four key questions and answers on the subject.