Costa Rica - Officials from the 11 countries that make up the Regional Conference on Migration (RCM) are this week holding their annual meeting in San José, Costa Rica, where they are discussing migration issues of common concern.

During the four-day meeting, which ends today, Vice Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Interior, and senior migration officials, are focusing on a central theme: Migration and Integration: Migration with a Human Face.

This is particularly relevant for Costa Rica. As a country of destination and with newly introduced migration legislation, it has undertaken a series of initiatives aimed at promoting the integration of migrants living in the country.

In his opening remarks, IOM Director General William Lacy Swing stressed:  “Real integration and sustainable reintegration can only be achieved with the participation of all sectors, including governments, the media, civil society and the private sector of both countries of origin and destination. It is crucial to improve the public perception of migration by acknowledging the important role migrants can and do play as partners in host and home country development.”

Canada and the United States host around 50 million migrants – equal to some 23 per cent of migrants worldwide.  Mesoamerica and the Caribbean host more than 2 million South-South migrants.  During the past five years, more than half a million migrants have returned annually to Central America and Mexico.

IOM Regional Director for North and Central America and the Caribbean, Robert Paiva commended the RCM members for the selection of this year’s topic and added: “Putting a human face on migration implies knowing that an individual’s migration process does not end with his or her arrival at the country of destination or with their return to their country of origin. It continues until that person manages to integrate into the host society or reintegrate into the return community.”

Paiva noted: “To achieve successful integration we must ensure that migrants’ rights are protected at all times, regardless of their migratory status. For IOM, this requires that governments, societies and the migrants themselves accept to share responsibility. Each has their own role to play, but with active participation and coordination, successful integration can take place.”

During the past 17 years, the countries of the RCM (Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and the United States), have remained committed to continue frank and honest discussions on regional migration issues, and have undertaken regional efforts to protect the human rights of migrants and strengthen the integrity of each member state's immigration laws, borders, and national security.

IOM provides technical and logistical support to the RCM Technical Secretariat, which receives its policy direction and supervision from the incumbent Presidency Pro-Tempore to follow-up on mandates and instructions issued at the end of the annual meetings. IOM also implements projects related to migrant smuggling and human trafficking and provides return assistance to vulnerable migrants on behalf of RCM member countries.

For information on the Regional Conference on Migration, please visit their website: http://www.rcmvs.org/

or contact

Oliver Bush
Eemail: obush@iom.int
Tel: 506-2221-5348