Argentina - A record number of participants from 16 countries gathered in the coastal city of Mar del Plata, Argentina this week for the 36^th Annual IOM Inter-American Course on International Migration.

Twenty-eight participants from 16 Latin American and Caribbean countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela) took part in the 11-day training course focusing on regional and international migration trends.

The course, which attracts government officials, academics and international civil servants, is also a forum for exchange of information and best practices on migration policy and programs in the Western Hemisphere.

Some of the topics discussed in this year’s course included: understanding migration processes in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as globally; the international protection and human rights of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees; migration management instruments; policies and programs on international migration, such as those concerning labor migration; assistance to migrants; counter-trafficking; and regional consultative processes on migration.

“Ongoing changes and updates to migration legislation and institutions, including the creation of new bodies, confirm the importance that migration plays in the agenda of all countries in the region,” explained Diego Beltrand, IOM Regional Director for South America.

“Migration policy has made significant strides in this region,” Argentinean Director General of Consular Affairs Ambassador Rubén Buira told participants. Among the achievements, he highlighted MERCOSUR’s Residence Agreement, which he described as "a key element of thought and autonomous policies in our region."

The closing ceremony of the course will take place in Buenos Aires today at the Ministry of Interior. Argentina’s National Director of Immigration, Martin Arias Duval, will attend with other senior government officials.

For further information, please contact

Jorge Gurrieri
IOM Buenos Aires
Email: jgurrieri@iom.int