Costa Rica - The Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program (ACCBP) is funding IOM with C$500,000 (USD 510,000) to carry out two key assessments along borders in Central America, in support of the implementation of the Central American Security Strategy proposed by the Central American Integration System.

Borders in Central America are frequently marked only by a river, a remote mountain range or dense forest. This results in numerous unauthorized crossing points where various illegal activities take place, including human trafficking, migrant smuggling, drug trafficking, and the movement of weapons.

It is estimated that up to half a million migrants pass through Central America into Mexico every year as they journey north. As they pass through borders, they risk extortion, violence, arrest, rape, kidnapping and murder.

Although the United States, Canada, and Spain are the main destinations for migrants traveling through Central America, increasingly, individuals are also migrating with plans to stay within the region.

“Governments in the region suffer from a lack of information about the conditions at Central American border crossings and need clear recommendations as to how to improve them,” says Pier Rossi-Longhi, IOM’s regional specialist on integrated border management for Latin America and the Caribbean.

To address these issues, IOM will be carrying out a needs assessment to identify how to strengthen security on land, air and sea borders dividing Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Belize. It will work with government counterparts from migration, police and customs agencies to carry out the research.

“Carrying out these analyses will provide relevant tools that will strengthen the capacities of migration, police and customs officials to improve border management and security, for the benefit of the Central American people, in particular migrants and their families,” said Erick Vilchez, Director of Democratic Security at the General Secretariat of the Central American Integration System (SG-SICA.)

IOM will also analyze uncontrolled border crossings across the region to determine points of vulnerability and identify equipment and infrastructure needs for improved surveillance.

“These assessments will be crucial in identifying concrete steps for improving border security and preventing crimes against migrants, such as human trafficking and other abuse,” says Rossi-Longhi.

IOM will work closely with the Central American Integration System (SICA), the UN Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the Central American Commission of Migration Directors (OCAM) to carry out these activities.

For more information, please contact

Dana Graber-Ladek
IOM Costa Rica
Tel: + 506 22.12.53.10
Email: dgraber@iom.int