Almost 10 per cent of Peru's population lives outside the country.
These 2.5 million Peruvians migrated abroad in search of work and
to forge a better life for their families.

And this migration trend continues today. In spite of five years
of favorable economic performance, and a consistent annual growth
rate above five per cent, in 2005 an unprecedented number of
Peruvians migrated. That year, more that 300,000 persons left the
country and have not returned, and polls confirm that seven of
every ten Peruvians say they are ready to migrate, preferably to
the United States or Spain.

Spain and Peru have signed a labour migration agreement which
will allow more than 1,500 Peruvians to travel to the European
country with a work permit.

It's no wonder that migration has become a priority item on the
national agenda.

To provide support for their growing diaspora, in 2004 the
government created the Secretary of Peruvians Abroad within the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The office was tasked with monitoring
and protecting the rights of migrants, encouraging return schemes
for migrants wishing to return home, and promoting ideas to link
remittances, which in 2006 totaled USD 1.8 billion or two per cent
of the GNP, to development.

But the importance of the subject is in stark contrast with the
paucity of spaces to conduct analysis and debate.

"/jahia/webdav/shared/shared/mainsite/media/photos/fs/pr20070903_02.jpg"
vspace="6">Hoping to overcome this weakness, in 2005 the
International Migration, Globalization and Development Diploma got
started. A Peruvian consul approached the Pontificia Catholic
University of Peru (PUCP) to suggest the creation of a course to
provide capacity building for diplomats. And so Professor
Teófilo Altamirano, an expert on migration, got to work.
"The Diploma took off in an experimental manner. It was meant to
educate civil servants of the Foreign Ministry," explains
Altamirano. Later on, the project matured and, according to
Altamirano, "began shaping critical thinking and facilitating the
design of effective migration policies in Peru."

From the beginning, the initiative has been supported by IOM's
Regional Office for the Andean Region. "Research and discussion
generates knowledge, and this is fundamental for decision-making,"
explains IOM's Regional Representative Pilar Norza.

"IOM's participation in the course adds a practical approach
because it allows the students to get to know, first-hand, the work
of a specialized international organization," explains Dolores
Cortes, an IOM staff member and professor of the Diploma.

But the link between IOM and the University goes beyond the
Diploma. In November 2006 IOM was instrumental in helping the
University – with a student of body of 17,000 – make
the decision to dedicate its most prestigious annual event to
international migration. More than a dozen international experts
attended the congress and a publication with their contributions
was published, with support from IOM.

The Diploma includes classes on key subjects such as migration
policy, employment and remittances, amongst others. It is part of
the Post-graduate Department of Political Sciences and for Aldo
Panfichi, Director of the Department, "It is an opportunity to link
research with the local, national and international development
policies."

In this international cooperation framework, the PUCP and the
University of the Basque Country (UPV by its Spanish acronym) in
Spain signed a cooperation agreement to build bridges between
countries of origin and destination in an academic environment.
This year Peruvian professors will travel to Bilbao to teach
graduate-level courses on Migration and Management at the UPV.

The experts

The Diploma, created for diplomats, now attracts students and
experts on diverse subjects and from all over the country.

Jorge Canales is a professor of the University of Huacho
Province, an area with high levels of out migration. This is why he
does not regret having to travel more than two hours to attend
lectures in Lima. "It is very important to overcome the lack of
knowledge on migration. We need to study migration in order to
obtain greater benefits for the families of migrants and the
society as a whole," Canales explains.

For Sara Todd, a US national who moved to Peru to take part in
the course, "It is an opportunity to learn about a reality that
seems so far but that is very important to us."

These students sit in the same classes as civil servants of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Antonio Miranda Sisniegas was the
Peruvian Consul in San José, Costa Rica. He sees the value
in this specialized forum for discussion and analysis and
emphasizes the importance of its multidisciplinary approach which
allows for deeper and more analytical discussions.

After two years and more than 20 students, the Diploma is now
consolidated in Peru's Pontificia Catholic University. "It is
important that the Diploma continue to receive support. After all,
we are educating experts who are, or will be, in strategic
positions drafting the country's migration policies," adds
Panfichi.