Mexico City – To exchange experiences and search for solutions for regional migrant populations’ many needs,  representatives from the 21 information hubs for migrants, which operate in eight countries in Central America are today (29/05) meeting in Mexico City, with the support of the UN Migration Agency (IOM).

The information hubs or information centres have been developed by IOM at the global level with the objective of responding to the needs of migrants. This concept has been applied in diverse ways depending on the country and the population being served.

In Central America and Mexico, IOM has promoted this initiative through different programmes, including the Mesoamerica Program, so that migrants receive clear, reliable, and accurate information about the existing mechanisms for them to receive assistance, as well as options for safe and regular migration.

From October 2016 to March 2018, the staff of these information hubs has directly assisted more than 3,000 vulnerable migrants and, through informational activities in communities, have brought information about the risks associated with irregular migration to more than 7,500 people, many of them potential migrants.

Most migrants requested information about their rights, options for legalization, work permits, and job search, asylum procedures, voluntary return, and search for disappeared family members.

“These information hubs are one of IOM’s methods of cooperation by which we contribute to better management of migration and promote the protection of migrants. They offer clear, reliable, and effective information so that migrant persons can access the different services offered by governmental and civil society organizations,” explained Marcelo Pisani, Regional Director of IOM for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.

The risks that migrants incur are often connected to limited access to the information available for people considering migration, migrants in transit, migrants who have arrived at their destination, and even migrants who have returned to their country.

This regional meeting will also bring together representatives from other United Nations agencies and from civil society institutions and organizations that work with the migrant population in the region, with which the information hubs coordinate closely.

The meeting is sponsored by the Regional Mesoamerica Project, which seeks to contribute to the development and implementation of strategies for regular, orderly, and safe migration, ensuring adequate protection for migrants. This programme is funded by the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) of the Department of State of the United States of America. 

For more information, please contact Tatiana Chacón at IOM Costa Rica, Tel: 506 22125328, Email tchacon@iom.int