The twenty-ninth IOM-sponsored Inter-American Course on
International Migration gets underway next week in Mar del Plata.

Participants from 18 Latin American countries (Argentina,
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic,
Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua,
Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela) are gathering for 11 days of
intensive training focused on regional and international migration
trends and to exchange information and best practices on migration
policy and programmes in Latin America.

The thematic modules to be used this year by the 22 participants
include: understanding migration processes in Latin America;
international protection of migrants; management instruments;
international migration policies and programmes; and regional
consultative processes on migration.

For 26 years, IOM was a co-organizer of the course as part of
its technical cooperation activities in the region.  For the
past three years the IOM Regional Office in Buenos Aires has been
the sole organizer.

In 1999, the course adopted an intensive training system within
a shorter time frame, allowing for the participation of senior
government officials.

Over the past 28 years, the Inter-American Course on
International Migration Course has trained more than 600 government
officials.

For further information, please contact:

Jorge Gurrieri

IOM Buenos Aires

E-mail: "mailto:jgurrieri@iom.int">jgurrieri@iom.int