Argentina - IOM is providing support to its Brazilian Government partners and will participate as a migration expert in the first National Migration and Asylum Conference (COMIGRAR) opening today in Sao Pablo.

The three-day conference will bring together an estimated 700 participants working on issues related to migration, human mobility and asylum, from government, international organizations, NGOs, academia, and the private sector.

The organizers are encouraging frank and open discussions that will help policy makers strengthen human rights centered migration policies.

Planning for COMIGRAR, under the leadership of Brazil’s Ministry of Justice, began in 2013 with input and discussions amongst ministries, national experts, as well as more than 200 meetings (in person and virtual) with more than 50 municipalities and Brazilian diaspora associations in over 14 countries.

“At the current state of development for the country, COMIGRAR presents an opportunity for leaders to build a development model that will ensure integration and inclusion for all migrants and the best use of the skills they bring to Brazil,” said Diego Beltrand, IOM Regional Director for South America.

“A horizontal discussion, such as this one that begins today in Sao Paolo, where migrants and Brazilians living abroad are included in the debates is certainly a model to replicate at the regional and global levels,” added Beltrand.

Some of the topics being discussed include access to health care and education, information campaigns to combat xenophobia and discrimination, and the need to establish migration policies built on foundations of inclusion and local development.  A full list of topics can be found at COMIGRAR’s webpage  Cuaderno de propuestas.

IOM is coordinating two thematic roundtables: “Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration” and “New Migration Flows to Brazil: The Case of Haitian Migration”.

In 2012 IOM conducted a study on Haitian migration to Brazil which confirmed that Haitian migration to Brazil increased following the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti in January 2010.  The IOM research looked at Ecuador and Peru, the main transit countries for migrants and reported that migrants travel through the Peruvian regions of Tumbes, Lima y Madre de Dios to reach the northern State of Acre, Brazil.

“The Government of Brazil has implemented a very generous humanitarian visa policy to help certain nationalities, including Haitians as their country continues its recovery from the devastating earthquake of 2010, and also to manage orderly and safe migration,” explained Jorge Peraza, IOM Regional Officer.

Brazil booming economy has turned into a destination country for migrants.  Although the arrival of Haitian migrants has garnered vast media attention, Dominicans, Senegalese, as well nationals of the European Union, amongst others, are also choosing Brazil as their country of destination.

Asylum is also an important subject being discussed.  Brazil experienced a six-fold increase in asylum applications in 2013 compared to 2012.  Nationals from Bangladesh are at the top of the list followed by Senegal, Lebanon, Syria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

With a total population of 190,755,759 (2010 census), the migrant population in the country is estimated at about one per cent or about one million persons.  The majority are Portuguese (277,727), followed by Japanese (91,042), Italians (73,126) and Spanish (59.985).  In the past few years the majority of migrants arriving in Brazil are from outside the South American continent – Africa (especially Senegal), and the Caribbean region (particularly from the Dominican Republic and Haiti).

For more information about COMIGRAR please visit:
http://www.participa.br/comigrar/sobre-a-comigrar#.U4YZgBzD9mM

For more information please contact

Magdalena Mactas
IOM Buenos Aires
Email: mmactas@iom.int