As part of a series of Global Dialogues on Migration, IOM and the
Global Development Learning Network in Nicaragua this week brought
together officials from the region to discuss ways to harness the
positive forces of migration to ensure development for Central
America and Mexico.

Government officials, civil society and academics from Costa
Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and
Panama also discussed migrants' rights and social integration
during the second Global Dialogue on Migration via video
conference.

The 90 participants shared lessons learnt and effective
responses discussed at the Second Global Forum on Migration and
Development (GFMD) held in Manila in October, and the Third
International Colloquium on Migration and Development held in San
José in early December.

Ernesto Nosthas, Director General of the Ministry of
Salvadorians Abroad, said, "At the Global Forum on Migration and
Development in Manila, Latin-American participants reflected on the
relatively small role that our region played vis a vis the large
spaces carved out by Africa and Asia.  If we take these
comments in a positive vein, the best thing for us to do is to
prepare ourselves as a region, taking advantage of the Regional
Conference on Migration (also known as the Puebla Process) in order
to present a strong regional position at the next Forum in Athens
in 2009."

Participants also discussed the global financial crisis and its
impact on migration flows and remittances sent by migrants to
families left behind.

"The fast pace of globalization and integration within the
region is impacting on migration flows, regular and irregular,
which respond to changes in labour markets.  This requires
governments and other stakeholders to design policies that link
migration to development," explains Berta Fernández, IOM
Officer in Charge in Nicaragua.

According to IOM's World Migration Report 2008, South-North
migration continues to be the dominant migration trend in the
Americas, accounting for 87 per cent of total migration in the
region, representing the highest rate of South-North migration in
the world.  Migration to other Latin American and Caribbean
(LAC) countries accounts for the remaining 13 per cent.

In 2005, 25 million Latin American and Caribbean citizens lived
outside their country of origin, accounting for nearly four per
cent of the population of their home countries; 74 per cent of them
were thought to be living in the United States.  Between 2000
and 2005, the number of LAC migrants increased by four
million. 

The Global Dialogue series is co-funded by the World Bank and
the Spanish Agency for Cooperation and Development (AECID by its
Spanish acronym).  The first Dialogue titled: "Development
Challenges for Central America and Links with South-South Migration
Flows: Economic, Social and Political Aspects ", took place in
October and brought together 140 participants.

For further information, please contact:

Berta Fernández

IOM Nicaragua

Tel: + 505 278 9569

E-mail: "mailto:bfernandez@iom.int">bfernandez@iom.int