Costa Rica 
|
Facts and Figures
Latest News
Overview Migration ActivitiesThe last population census in Costa Rica (2000) counted nearly 200,000 immigrants, 7.8 per cent of the total population. Key migration challenges facing the government include protecting migrant workers against labour exploitation, as well as the social insertion of migrant populations and the improvement of their access to education and health services. In addition, with the new visa requirement for Colombian citizens, there is an increase in irregular migration from Colombia, a migration management issue that needs to be prioritized. In Central America, Costa Rica stands out as a country with relatively high development indicators and a history of promoting human rights and democracy. Costa Ricans enjoy many protections and freedoms, which contribute to an overall high quality of life. However, Costa Rica is also home to irregular migrant populations, who often face constraints in accessing some of the social services that Costa Rica offers. The country's stable economy and standard of living attract migrants from neighboring countries, men and women who often cross the long land borders to work in low-paying or informal industries, including agriculture, construction and service industries. The vast majority of these migrants are irregular, working without permission and often without documents. The challenges created by irregular populations extend beyond migration management and border control. Migration Health Finca Sana, an innovative project to improve the health of indigenous coffee pickers in southern Costa Rica, was awarded USD 199,842 at the highly competitive World Bank Development Marketplace Competition in 2007. The Development Marketplace is a grant competition within the Health, Nutrition and Population arm of the World Bank. In 2007, the Bank, together with the Gates Foundation, awarded USD 4 million to projects from around the world, including the IOM-led project Finca Sana. Less than 1 per cent of the 2,900 proposals originally submitted were funded, after a long process which included jury interviews at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington, DC. Finca Sana aims to improve the health of members of the Ngöbe-Buglé indigenous tribe who migrate into Costa Rica from Panama each year to pick coffee. The health of these labour migrants is among the worst in the hemisphere. In the framework of the Finca Sana Project, the need was identified to rapidly assess the health conditions of the Ngöbe-Buglé labour migrants (particularly children) as they cross the Panama-Costa Rica border to work in the coffee harvest. With food prices rising in the region, IOM and its partners are concerned that levels of malnutrition and respiratory disease among children will rise even more. The Temporary Border Health Post intends to identify not only respiratory infections, but also malnutrition and other health needs and provide appropriate care. The Health Post will be located at the Panama-Costa Rica border, where the majority of the Ngöbe-Buglé migrants arrive starting in September, making use of a space that has been made available by the Costa Rica Migration Office. Medical staff will be provided and paid for by the Costa Rica Social Security System (CCSS), and funds for the refurbishing of the space; indigenous promoters who will serve as interpreters between health workers and migrants; latrines; drinking water and for hand washing and other basic needs will be contributed by the German Embassy in San José. The project is for a total of USD12,131, and initial duration will be three months (September to November 2009). The best way to diminish the risk and impact of potential emerging or re-emerging epidemics and pandemics is through enhanced surveillance, prevention, and response systems, as well as effective communication strategies. These actions must include the most vulnerable populations, particularly those who already suffer from other infectious diseases and whose communities may be “hot spots” for disease emergence. The project “Pandemic Preparedness among Migrant Populations in Latin America”, with a total programme budget of USD304,950 from the Central Fund for Influenza Action (CFIA), seeks to strengthen disaster and pandemic preparedness in Central America to include migrant populations’ needs in national plans. It will focus on one sub-region of Latin America, specifically Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. Main Projects
Migration and Development Donor
Migrant flows from Nicaragua to Costa Rica occur in response to a number of factors, whose backdrop is a history of natural disasters, political conflict and structural economic imbalances. During the last three decades, the following events can be identified at minimum:
The bi-national project Co-Development Project between Costa Rica and Nicaragua aims to improve the contribution of migration movements to the development processes of both countries and improve social conditions in areas with large migrant populations and migrant-sending locations. The project will regulate labour flows of Nicaraguan workers to Costa Rica, promote insertion conditions in labour markets, improve the psychosocial situation of migrants and their families and promote their social integration. The project is financed by the Spanish Cooperation Agency (Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional, AECI). Read the latest information regarding activities under this project. Main Project Regulating Migration Donors
Assisted Voluntary Returns. Irregular migration is expanding worldwide, with major flows in Central America, putting migrants at risk to a range of abuses, particularly while in transit. Within the broader group of irregular migrants, there are sub-groups of highly vulnerable individuals who, hoping to reach the United States and Canada, are often victims of accidents, violence and abuse. In September 2004, Regional Conference on Migration (RCM) 2004 Reserve Funds were transferred to IOM to assist voluntary return operations, particularly humanitarian cases of highly vulnerable Central American migrants. The project has since been ongoing, financed mainly by the US Government and to a lesser extent by other RCM countries, on a yearly basis. Beneficiaries are mainly unaccompanied minors (under 18 years of age); pregnant women; wounded, sick or disabled migrants; elderly migrants (over 70 years of age) and victims of violence (rape, assault). Also, a pilot reintegration component directly assists unaccompanied minors in Honduras and El Salvador. Main Project
DonorsCounter-trafficking. MRF San José provides technical assistance in counter-trafficking issues not only to Costa Rica but also at the regional level, as human trafficking is present in everyday life in the region. Numerous regional and national projects have been and are presently implemented in the framework of sub-regional consultation and coordination processes such as the Central American Commission of Migration Directors (OCAM), the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM), the Central American Integration System (SICA) and the Central American Council of Women Ministries (COMMCA). Information campaigns, counter-trafficking training to government authorities, construction and administration of shelters for victims, help telephone lines and repatriation/reintegration projects are among the most successful endeavors which have been underway for some time now. These are mostly financed by the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) of the United States Department of State. The main national counter-trafficking projects currently implemented in Costa Rica are summarized below; however, Costa Rica also benefits from such regional projects as mentioned above. During 2006-2008, MRF San José supported the creation and strengthening of the Anti-Trafficking National Coalition in Costa Rica. Specifically, IOM has provided technical assistance and financial support throughout the drafting of the National Plan of Action. The project “Designing and Strengthening a National Referral Mechanism for the Protection of Victims of Trafficking in Costa Rica”, recently approved for financing by the US Department of State, aims to strengthen the National Counter-Trafficking Coalition in Costa Rica by supporting the drafting and implementation of a national referral mechanism to protect trafficking victims, thus building on past and present counter-trafficking projects in Costa Rica. One of the main recommendations of the 2007 Trafficking in Persons Report of the US Trafficking in Persons Office was the consolidation of the National Counter-Trafficking Coalition into a timely and strong political platform to jointly combat trafficking in persons. With IOM technical and financial support, a comprehensive National Action Plan was designed and approved in 2007. The most important challenge facing Costa Rica is the implementation of the National Action Plan. Through the development of a national referral mechanism for assistance of victims of trafficking, capacity-building and targeted training, this project will support the initial steps of implementation of the existing National Action Plan, including the drafting of a Victim’s Protection Bill. The project with also support the establishment of a confidential database of assisted trafficked victims. Main Projects
Facilitating Migration MRF San José provides technical assistance in migration management not only to Costa Rica but to the whole of the Central American region mainly through sub-regional consultation and coordination processes such as the Central American Commission of Migration Directors (OCAM), the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM) and the Central American Integration System (SICA), by means of a number of regional and national projects, as the regional political agenda has long incorporated the need to re-design management procedures and mechanisms, as one of its core issues. The project “Supporting Regional Integration through Improved Migration Management in Central America” was approved for financing by the European Union, in the amount of EUR 1,315,920, for a period of 24 months. The specific objective of this programme is to support regional integration through improved migration management in Central America. Overall objectives include (a) the promotion of data capture and exchange by strengthening key migration institutions through improved infrastructure and operational systems for migration management; (b) the fostering of the sub-regional free movement of people by building technical capacities among migration authorities and officials in the areas of border, passport control, visa management and via Sharing Best Practices from the European Model to establish a legal framework among participating countries; and, (c) the facilitation of cooperation between countries of origin, transit, and destination in the area of migration management both nationally and regionally. Partners are the seven Migration Directorates in all countries of the Central American Commission of Migration Directors (OCAM). Other key stakeholders will form part of an Advisory Committee. Beneficiary countries are Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico and Panama. The Joint Programme on Youth, Employment and Migration: A One-Stop Shop for Youth Employment was officially approved for funding in February 2009 by the Spain Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Achievement Fund in the amount of USD 4,716,000. Participating Agencies are IOM, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and International Labour Organization (ILO). The Programme intends to contribute to the protection of the rights of migrant populations aged 15 through 24, particularly coming from marginal areas, both urban (Desamparados) and rural (Upala), in Costa Rica. These populations face more limited opportunities than other groups to enforce their basic rights to education, vocational training, employment, as well as access to a series of services because of their age, origin and gender. In Costa Rica, IOM is also taking part in an innovative endeavour known as the Observatory of Mass Media on Migrants and Refugees, jointly with the Bar Association of Costa Rica, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the National Migration Office, and the Office of the Ombudsperson, under the coordination of the National Commission for the Administration of Justice. The main objective of the Observatory is to promote transparent and reliable information on migration matters in Costa Rica and Central America and to serve as a primary source for consultation by private and public sectors, NGOs, mass media, academic and research institutions and civil society, among others. The Observatory is available on the Internet, and methodology is mainly through a comprehensive analysis of the information from a social, political and juridical viewpoint. Main Projects
Migration Research With the financial support of the Spanish Cooperation Agency through the Central American Council of Ministries for Women Issues (COMMCA) and the Central American Integration System (SICA), IOM carried out a Regional Study on the Rules and Regulations regarding Trafficking in Persons in Central America and the Dominican Republic, and their Application; as well as national studies on the same subject, for each of these. View the Costa Rica study. Another regional study and national studies for same countries were elaborated by IOM on the experiences of women victims of trafficking in Central America and the Dominican Republic, including the role of relevant institutions. View the Costa Rica study.
Last updated: | ||||
More Facts and FiguresIOM Costa Rica
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Regional Office for Central and North America and the Caribbean
Apartado 122
2050 San Pedro
Costa Rica
| Tel: | +506.2.221 5348 |
| +506.2.221 5414 | |
| +506.2.222 4842 | |
| +506.2.222 3272 | |
| +506.2.222 3386 | |
| Fax: | +506.2.253 6182 |
Featured Project
Improving the Contribution of Migration to the Development of Costa Rica and Nicaragua
Counter-Trafficking Newsletter
- Por Una Migración Segura, March-April 2009 | ES
