BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says it has concluded a two-day consultation process with key national and regional stakeholders on a draft strategy to guide the organization’s work in the Dutch and English-speaking Caribbean between 2023-26.
The draft IOM Caribbean Strategy was presented during five thematic sessions covering disaster risk management and disaster-related human mobility; migration and resilience to climate change; resilience to socio-economic drivers of migration; protection of people on the move and border governance; and labor migration and human development.
IOM regional director for Central America, North America, and the Caribbean, Michele Klein-Solomon, said the Caribbean is a region that has been shaped by a history of migration, including forced migration, and a large diaspora community.
“The Caribbean is at the forefront of collective engagements to fight the dire consequences of climate change. It is also a vibrant region with many opportunities for sustainable development that can be supported by well-managed migration, including through regional integration, in the CARICOM and OECS areas.”
The IOM said more than 170 participants attended the two half-day webinars, including donors, government stakeholders, UN, non-governmental and civil society organizations, and academia.
IOM regional thematic specialists and heads of officers of Caribbean country offices presented the context. They proposed strategic responses during each of the thematic sessions, which were followed by rich question and answer segments as well as information sharing among participants.
“The consultations provided an opportunity to hear the priorities of participating states and organizations and receive their feedback on IOM’s proposed strategies and share resources, including data and research reports between organizations and with all participants,” said
IOM Caribbean coordinator Patrice Quesada.
He said that the IOM team would use the results from this consultation to finalize the strategy based on feedback received and launch the system to critical audiences in the region later in the year.
IOM Caribbean Coordination Office said it looks forward to deepening the networks established over these two days to collaborate with all relevant partners in improving migration governance and fostering its contribution to sustainable development in the Caribbean.
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