IOM Contributes to the Protection of Migrants During Emergencies

 
Honduras
10 October, 2018

Nacaome (Honduras), September 24, 2018. –IOM, the United Nations Organization for Migration, developed a workshop with public institutions and civil society organizations which operate in southern Honduras to build capacities to provide adequate assistance to migrants in emergency contexts.

The activity was held as part of the Migrants in Countries in Crisis (MICIC) Initiative, which works toward appropriate preparation to respond to large scale crises affecting countries, and therefore the migrants who find themselves stranded or in transit during the emergency.

"The objective is to protect the dignity and rights of migrants trapped in places experiencing conflict or natural disaster, regardless of their migrant status," stated Jorge Peraza, Chief of Mission of IOM for El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

Based on this principle, IOM trained public officials in Honduras and staff of other interested organizations to prepare for and respond to the needs of migrants in the case of a crisis situation.

"When countries experience such emergencies, migrants may lack the means to guarantee their own safety. Additionally, in some specific situations there are no frameworks to determine the responsibilities of the State and other actors, in contrast with the case of refugees," explained Peraza.

In 2017, IOM delivered a first training on this topic to the Interinstitutional Network for Migration in the Southern Region of Honduras. "Nevertheless, we consider it necessary to continue strengthening the network for this initiative, since the municipalities of Choluteca and Valle record elevated flows of migrants in transit, and it is important to prepare adequately to handle possible emergencies, such as that which took place this year after the eruption of Fuego volcano in Guatemala," explained the Chief of Mission.

The National Police, the National Institute for Migration, Firefighters, the Permanent Commission for Contingencies, the Directorate of Childhood, Adolescence, and Family (DINAF), and others participated in the workshop. The training was held as part of IOM's Mesoamerica Program, financed by the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration of the Department of State of the United States of America.