On 21 to 24 June 2009, the Director General of the International
Organization for Migration, Mr. William Lacy Swing, travelled to
Mexico to meet senior government officials and to visit the
country’s southern border.

During the three-day visit, the Director General met with the
Commissioner of the National Migration Institute, Ms. Cecilia
Romero, and with the Consultative Council of the National Institute
for Migration. During his visit, the Director General took part in
a conference on “Migration and the Multilateral Agenda in the
Context of the International Financial Crisis”.

In the southern city of Tapachula, the Director General
inaugurated an IOM office and signed a cooperation agreement
between IOM and the Government of Chiapas. There, he met with the
Governor of the southern state of Chiapas, Mr. Juan Sabines
Guerrero. He also met with members of the “Grupo Beta”,
a migrant protection group.

On the last day of his visit, the Director General met the
Minister of the Interior, Mr. Fernando Gomez Mont and held a
meeting with the Under Secretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human
Rights, Ambassador Juan Manuel Gomez Robeldo.

The IOM office in Mexico carries out activities related to the
promotion of migrants rights, with a focus on minors and women,
combating trafficking in persons and providing assistance to its
victims, and assisting the Government with voluntary returns of
extra-regional migrants.