Honduras and Guatemala coordinate efforts to address migration flows

 
Guatemala, Honduras
7 August, 2019

 

Puerto Cortés (Honduras), July 30, 2019- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) facilitated the 5th Exchange of the Cross-border Migration Coordination Network on Guatemala-Honduras, which seeks to improve cooperation between both countries on migration management related issues.

This time, the exchange served as an opportunity to analyze the so-called migrant caravans responses and to identify lessons learnt. “The dynamics of human mobility, especially in the context of the so-called migrant caravans, have made improvements necessary in humanitarian aid, legal services, medical and psychosocial assistance, professionalization of responsible personnel, and the generation of statistical data to aid the authorities of both countries in making decisions,” stated Jorge Peraza, Chief of Mission of IOM for El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

During this two-day meeting, IOM presented its Migration Crisis Operational Framework (MCOF) to the participating institutions, including both governmental agencies and civil society organizations. MCOF is a tool for improving the way IOM addresses the needs of migrants and refugees and cooperates with government institutions, UN agencies, and NGOs so that they can better prepare to respond to migration crises.

The Cross-border Coordination Technical Network on Migration between Guatemala and Honduras is made up of institutions belonging to the Local Migration Network of the Department of Cortés, Honduras, such as the Honduran Red Cross and the Directorate of Children, Adolescents, and Family (DINF), among others, and the members of the Departmental Roundtable on Migration of Izabal, Guatemala, made up of personnel from the Casa del Migrante migrant shelter, the Ministry of Education, and the Committee on Support to Migrant Trafficking Victims, among others. Personnel participated from a total of 40 institutions specializing in assistance to migrants.

This cross-border meeting was held within the framework of the Mesoamerica Program of IOM, financed by the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration of the Department of State of the United States of America.