The IOM Mission in Ecuador is providing support to the Latin
American University for Social Sciences (FLACSO by its Spanish
acronym) to carry out the first graduate-level course on Migration
and Development.

The new six-month course, which began this week with 23
students, aims to develop the capacity of participants to design
and implement migration-related policies and programmes to counter
any negative impacts that migration may have on the country and its
residents, and to contribute to a better understanding of migration
and development issues.

Participants will also focus on internal migration flows from
rural to urban areas, which began decades ago and have remained
constant in Ecuador. 

Mass international migration began in earnest in the late 90s as
a result of Ecuador's economic crisis that resulted in a 30 per
cent decrease in its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Over the past
seven years, some 1.5 million Ecuadorians have left the country for
Western Europe, mainly to Spain and Italy.  The Ecuadorian
Central Bank estimates that more than two million Ecuadorians are
currently living abroad. 

IOM, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the National
Secretariat for Migrants (SENAMI by its Spanish acronym), Plan
Migration, Communication and Development – a local alliance
of organizations working on migration issues, and the Ecuadorian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs have joined forces to support FLACSO's
initiative to create the Certificate Course on Migration and
Development.

The course is open to professionals of public and private
institutions involved in the design and implementation of public
policies related to migration and development, researchers,
communicators, human rights advocates, and members of the civil
society interested in specializing in the migration
field. 

"IOM is proud to provide financial support to this first
graduate-level certificate course on Migration and
Development.  Until now this important topic had not been
covered in an academic setting in Ecuador," explains Alejandro
Guidi, IOM Chief of Mission in Ecuador.

For more information please contact:

Ana Maria Guzmán

IOM Quito

Tel: 593.2-22-53-948/49/50

E-mail: "mailto:aguzman@oim.org.ec">aguzman@oim.org.ec