United States – IOM and the Organization of American States (OAS) have brought together more than 50 embassy and consular officials based in Washington DC to discuss the main trends and challenges of international migration.

The one-day workshop, which also included presentations by experts from the World Bank, the Inter-American Development and UNHCR, focused on the links between migration and development, the contributions of the diaspora to countries of origin, regional consultative processes focusing on migration, and the inclusion of migration in the post-2015 development agenda in the context of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs.)

“Migration was not part of the MDGs and so IOM is working with governments, as well as non-governmental partners, to ensure that migration is included in the UN post-2015 development agenda,” says Ana E. Duran Salvatierra, IOM Senior Regional Advisor for the Americas.

 “Regional consultative processes and the 2^nd High Level Dialogue at the UN General Assembly in October represent an opportunity to address emerging issues such as urbanization, climate and environmental change and migration, south-south migration, the need to better match labour supply and demand globally, and the protection of vulnerable migrants, especially unaccompanied minors and stranded migrants,” said IOM Chief of Mission in Washington DC Luca Dall’Oglio.

“With 57.5 million international migrants in the Americas or 30 percent of the world’s 214 million migrants, OAS Member States need to recognize that migration is an important part of the post-2015 development agenda,” he noted.

 For more information please contact

Maria G. Moreno
IOM Washington DC
Email: mgmoreno@iom.int
Tel: +1 202 862 1826 ext 230