XVI Annual Meeting of the Regional Conference on Migration Addresses Migration Realities
Officials from the 11 countries that make up the Regional
Conference on Migration (RCM) are this week holding their annual
meeting in the Dominican Republic to discuss migration issues of
common concern.
During the four-day meeting, ending today, vice ministers of
foreign affairs and interior, and senior migration officials, are
exchanging information, shared experiences and best practices, and
discussing ways to promote regional cooperation on migration
issues.
Participants agreed that to address current migration realities
– irregular migration, the vulnerability of women and minors,
increased violence against migrants and the violation of their
human rights – more effective migration management strategies
need to be developed at a regional level.
IOM's Director General, William Lacy Swing expressed his
gratitude for commemorating the 60th anniversary of IOM in the
vice-ministerial opening session.
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Conference on Migration
"This is a special tribute, coming as it does from member states
that constitute the Regional Conference on Migration – one of
the most effective Regional Consultative Processes in the world,"
stated Director General Swing.
"Demographic trends of an ageing industrialized population and
an exponentially expanding youth population without jobs;
consequential labour market demands that can no longer be satisfied
by the domestic workforce; widening North-South economic and social
disparities and climate change and other man-made catastrophes will
make migration a 21st Century 'mega-trend'. The critical question
for States, therefore, is how to manage migration effectively
– both nationally and regionally — because, given these
global trends, large population movements are inevitable. They are
also necessary, and if managed properly, desirable as well," added
Swing.
During the past 15 years, the countries of the RCM, also known
as the Puebla Process as it was established in February 1996 as a
result of the Tuxtla II Presidential Summit in Puebla, Mexico, have
remained committed to continue frank and honest discussion on
regional migration issues, and have undertaken regional efforts to
protect the human rights of migrants and strengthen the integrity
of each member state's immigration laws, borders, and national
security, as well as to support the links between migration and
development.
Focused on three central themes: Migration Policy and
Management, Human Rights, and Migration and Development, the eleven
Member States: Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic,
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and
the United States, implement an array of actions within the
framework of this regional process: cooperation projects; projects
to assist the return of migrant women and minors; training
workshops and seminars; and technical and institutional assistance
for immigration authorities.
Earlier this, week, the RCM’s two regional consultation
groups – the Liaison Officers Network on Consular Protection
and the Liaison Officers Network to Combat Migrant Smuggling and
Trafficking in Persons, met to discuss the establishment of a
Protection Network to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants
from Central America and the Dominican Republic stranded in Mexico
and the current situation, trends and the protection and assistance
needs of extra-continental migrants and refugees in Central America
and Mexico.
Extra -continental migration, including economic migrants,
refugees, asylum applicants, and identified victims of trafficking
coming from Africa and Asia have emerged as one of the current
migration trends in Central America and Mexico.
The vast majority of extra-continental migrants arriving in the
region are young men, mainly from Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia,
Nepal, Bangladesh, China, India, Iraq, and Sri Lanka, aged between
20 and 40 and travelling without their families. Few cases of women
and unaccompanied minors have been reported.
IOM provides technical and logistical support to the RCM
Technical Secretariat and receives overall policy direction and
supervision from the incumbent Presidency Pro-Tempore to follow up
on the mandates and instructions issued at the end of the annual
meetings. IOM also implements projects related to migrant smuggling
and human trafficking and provides return assistance to vulnerable
migrants on behalf of RCM member countries.
For information on the Regional Conference on Migration, please
visit their website:
"_blank">http://www.rcmvs.org or contact:
Jorge Peraza
Tel: 506-2221-5348
Email:
"mailto:jperaza@iom.int">jperaza@iom.int