The International Organisa-tion for Migration (IOM) and the Caribbean Community (Caricom) have noted the need to jointly combat human trafficking, uphold the human rights of migrants, and address migration and development needs in a comprehensive manner in countries in the Caribbean region.
According to a press release from the IOM issued on the occasion of International Migrants Day being observed today, it was noted that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) pledging closer cooperation between Caricom and the IOM in activities related to migration.
The IOM has recently supported various Caribbean governments in a number of initiatives related to migration. These initiatives have focused on evacuation, displacement, human trafficking, protection, and diaspora engagement, the release said.
Since 2003, the IOM has been supporting initiatives with the Government of Guyana, the release said, adding that its local office recently launched a diaspora engagement project known as Guyana-Diaspora (GUYD) in collaboration with the Government of Guyana. The project is aimed at targeting ways in which the skills, knowledge, goodwill, and resources of Guyanese migrants abroad can be harnessed and leveraged for mutually beneficial economic development activities. The project involves a mapping process identifying members of the Guyanese diaspora, their professional and technical skills, and the prospects by which they could be shared for creating partnerships, which strengthen economic development activities in their homeland. Information on the GUYD project can be accessed from http://www.guydproject.iom.int/
Meanwhile, the IOM also recently facilitated a five-day ‘Protection of Vulnerable Migrants’ workshop in Guyana, focused on providing participants from various local governmental organisations and NGOs with knowledge, skills, and tools to identify and protect the rights and needs of vulnerable migrants. Workshop participants were educated and trained about how to understand and respond to the needs and protection issues of most vulnerable migrants. The release said the workshop was aimed at educating and training participants about vulnerable migrants and they were presented with viable options that can help establish or improve the country’s institutional response to the most vulnerable migrants.
The IOM was established in 1951 to support governments around the world with orderly and humane management of migration. The organisation works to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people.
The IOM is committed to strengthening and improving migration, migrants’ lives, and migration outcomes nationally, regionally, and globally and will continue to facilitate the development of policies and programmes that can benefit governments, migrants, and communities.
