Quito – IOM, the UN Migration Agency, the Vice Ministry of Human Mobility of Ecuador, the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences of Ecuador (FLACSO in Spanish) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (COSUDE in Spanish), last week (6-8/03) held a Regional Seminar on Human Mobility in Latin America in Quito, Ecuador.

The seminar aimed to discuss the challenges of current migration contexts and new migration policies in Ecuador and the region at large.

Thirty-six representatives from academia, governments, UN agencies, international organizations and civil society groups attended the event. The participants presented their perspectives on three topics: the regional view of migration flows and migration policies; human mobility and its plurality; and the challenge of diversity for migration policies.

Ecuador’s Vice Minister of Human Mobility, Ambassador José Luis Jácome, emphasized the importance of participating in the Global Compact for Migration and Refugees from an inclusion, equality and rights-based perspective. The Global Compact for Migration will be the first, intergovernmental negotiated agreement, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations, to cover all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner.

Jácome also urged attendees to reflect on the subject from a personal and human perspective. "We have all moved around the world, people in human mobility are [just like] us," said Jácome.

"This meeting is important to recognize the challenges faced by migrants and try to value all the positive contributions of migration," said IOM Regional Migration Analyst and Researcher Vanina Modolo.

The seminar served as a space to share experiences on circular mobility, trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling, and the challenges that migrants and refugees face in the region. In addition, it allowed for the exchange of topics related to the economic and cultural inclusion of migrants by laying the foundations for inclusive migration policies.

The seminar ended with a discussion about gender, ethnicity and youth in the migration process which, within the framework of the International Women's Day celebrations, showcased the work of migrant women in a context of abuse prevention and protection of rights.

For more information please contact Carolina Celi at IOM Ecuador, Tel: +593 23 934400, Email: cceli@iom.int