During the first stop of his official visit this week to the island
of Hispaniola, IOM's Director General Brunson McKinley met with
Haitian President Réne Préval, Prime Minister Jacques
E. Alexis, and other high level officials to discuss migration
issues.

McKinley also visited communities in Port-au-Prince, where
reconstruction efforts are underway as part of the IOM's Haiti
Transition Initiative (HTI). The IOM/HTI programme focuses on
working in areas where there are few opportunities for employment
and recreation. IOM/HTI employs disaffected youth and former gang
members on project sites. Since the programme began in May 2004,
more than US$13.4 million has been committed for 639 projects; 450
of them are completed. IOM/HTI is financed by the US Agency for
International Development (USAID).

While in Haiti, the Director General will launch a labour
migration report. The report, carried out by IOM at the request of
the Government of Haiti, focuses on the facilitation of temporary
and seasonal labour migration; the retention and return of highly
qualified nationals; tackling irregular migration, and promoting
improved practices with regards to repatriations and
deportations.  The report includes detailed analyses and
recommendations on bilateral accords with key destination
countries, as well as proposed material for the elaboration of
migration management legislation.

IOM projects in Haiti focus on community stabilization,
counter-trafficking and disaster mitigation and prevention, while
planning with the government for the institution of a comprehensive
migration management system with longer-term impact.

Later today, the Director General will arrive in the Dominican
Republic where he will meet Vice President Rafael Alburquerque,
Secretary of the Interior and Police, Franklin Almeyda, and the
Director of Immigration, Carlos Amarante, and other high level
officials.

While in Santo Domingo, McKinley and the Secretary General of
the Association of Caribbean States, Ruben Silié, will
launch a new publication titled "Intra-Caribbean Migration and the
Conflict Nexus".

The publication, a joint collaboration between Human Rights
Internet, the Association of Caribbean States, IOM, and the
University of the West Indies, looks at how globalization and
regional integration are transforming the nature and scope of
international movements and migration within the Greater Caribbean.
It includes concrete recommendations that its authors hope will
inform and contribute to policy development.

IOM programmes in the Dominican Republic include strengthening
migration management by assisting the government on improving
migration legislation and regulations, and training of government
officials and counter trafficking projects that encompass
assistance to victims, information campaigns, and training of
officials, community leaders and civil society.

For more information and to obtain copies of the publications,
contact:

Jennifer Zimmermann

IOM Port-au Prince

Tel: +509 245-5153/ 244-1218

Email: "mailto:jzimmermann@iom.int">jzimmermann@iom.int 

Fanny Polanía

IOM Santo Domingo

Tel: 1-809-732-7121

Email: "mailto:iomsantodomingo@iom.int">iomsantodomingo@iom.int