Costa Rica

San José. The First Migration Symposium 2019 was held in Costa Rica September 17-18, an opportunity to contextualize the current migration situation in the country and discuss best practices regarding the approach to mixed migration flows and support to migrants in conditions of vulnerability. The event was organized by the General Directorate of Migration and Foreign Affairs, with support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

A study conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) between January and June 2019 assessed the living conditions of Nicaraguan migrants who have entered Costa Rica or applied for asylum since April 2018 and identified their primary needs.

The study was a response to the urgent needs of governmental institutions for detailed information about Nicaraguans who arrived in Costa Rica during this period.

As of Thursday August 29, educational centers in Costa Rica have an “Action protocol for the restoration of rights and access to the Costa Rican education system for victims and survivors of the crime of human trafficking and their dependents.”

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) are leading the regional workshop “Governance of Labor Migration: Fair Hiring and Prevention of Fraudulent Practices”. The event, which was inaugurated today in Guatemala City and will end on Thursday, September 5, takes place within the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM).

Technological advances have helped develop many tools to make our daily activities easier. Learning is no exception! The possibility of remote learning – or e-learning – has made more education opportunities possible for many more people around the world through the use of digital platforms.

In following with the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM) and the Central American Policy for Comprehensive Disaster Risk Reduction (PCGIR), authorities representing said conference and other international organizations participated last August 26th on a regional workshop: “The key role of information coordination and management for tending to migrants in disaster situations”. The activity was designed to strengthen the inclusion and attention to migrants in such cases.

Municipal migration information hubs, located in over 20 Mesoamerican communities with a migrant presence, operate in coordination with IOM as spaces that facilitate migrants’ direct access to information on migration procedures and migration related issues.

In this context, Costa Rica opened the first Transactional Hub in the region, thanks to collaboration between the Migrant Information Hub in Upala and the General Directorate of Migration  (DGME).

IOM’s migration learning platform, E-Campus, has released a new English-language course addressing the fundamentals of trafficking in persons. The 3-hour course, “Trafficking in Persons: protection and assistance to victims”, provides a certification for English-speaking users.