The U.S. Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, Uzra Zeya, visited the southern border of Panama to learn about the situation of the migratory flow through Darien, in addition to following up on bilateral security, cooperation and human rights protection programs.
On October 29, more than 50 people from the member countries of the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM) concluded a training and awareness-raising process for employment counselors. The course sought to provide context on labour migration in the region, inform about the profiles of migrants and improve practices for their inclusion in the labour market.
On October 20, 2021, the third edition of the "Specialized virtual course on migrant children in the Americas" opened with a discussion on the rights of migrant children and adolescents. This is part of a joint effort between the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Institute for Children and Adolescents of the Organization of American States (IIN-OAS).
The International Forum on Digitalization, Migration and Development promoted by IOM and ILO, analyzed how migrant workers are involved in socio-labour dynamics that do not escape the new trends that the future of work presents, and digitalization could contribute to safe, orderly and regular labour migration under decent work conditions.These tools include the creation of innovative digital platforms of public institutions; new systems to process work permits quickly and expeditiously by virtual means, with a focus on the protection of public health; to the adoption of laws that encourage the mobility of "digital nomads", willing to telework from anywhere in the world.
More than 110 government institutions, civil society organizations and community leaders in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) presented their Communication for Development campaigns in August and September 2021. These initiatives were developed through evidence-based and participatory strategies that included more than 2,000 people from all communities involved for baselines, creations, and validations.
Participants included members of the different coordination mechanisms for migration management with presence in the two border provinces of Panama, Darien and Chiriqui. Topics discussed included inter-institutional coordination mechanisms for migrant populations in vulnerable situations, how the Human Mobility Group of the United Nations System in Panama works, and a tour of the Los Planes de Gualaca Migrant Reception Station (MRS). The participants accompanied the reception of 1,047 migrants who arrived in 19 buses from Darien, thus learning part of the dynamics within the MRS.
The activity sought to strengthen intergovernmental response capacity, continue the training of the police forces of Panama and Costa Rica in the prevention of migrant smuggling and learn first-hand the best practices implemented by the Dominican Republic in the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking and migrant smuggling crimes, as a reference country due to the progress it has made in this topic.
This preparatory forum was an appropriate space for promoting dialogue between various actors from the public and private sector, civil society, and international cooperation on priority actions for the development of the country in the new international context, experiences and good practices, human mobility and globalisation through various thematic sessions.
This specialized assistance strengthened the competencies and managerial capacities of diaspora organizations as social enterprises, in order to achieve the sustainability of their processes and the social impact of their actions. The first class includes 51 people from 14 countries.
From Panama’s and Mexico’s diverse contexts, both the USFROH and the INM Beta Group are working on similar tasks according to their functions, facing the challenges posed by monitoring, surveillance, and assistance of border crossings, especially by providing protection and assistance to those in a position of mobility, in addition to the fact that both aim to safeguard the security, dignity and life of migrants on their way to their migratory destinations.
