The government of Uruguay, in cooperation with IOM as Technical
Secretariat, is this week hosting the VIII South American
Conference (CSM by its Spanish acronym) in Montevideo.

The three -day conference ending today brought together
officials from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia,
Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay and Venezuela,
representatives from international organizations, and
representatives of civil society organizations.

Participants are discussing common migration challenges as well
as the creation of regional policies related to conflict
resolution, the human rights of migrants, reaching out to the
diaspora, supporting the return of migrants and their rights,
fighting human trafficking, and the need for more training for
officials working on these issues.

The South American Conference on Migration, which began in Lima
in 1999, is a regional process that ensures the region access to
international mainstream mechanisms for dialogue and agreement on
world migration issues.

Since 1999, heightened awareness and information on migration
related issues have led to the implementation of policies and laws
in most participating countries

"The fact that these countries have been meeting for nine years
to discuss migration issues confirms the resolve and commitment of
these governments, and provides an opportunity for the South
American Conference on Migration to position itself as the
political entity charged with building a regional consensus on
migration issues," explains Eugenio Ambrosi, IOM Regional
Representative in Argentina.

For more information contact:

Technical Secretariat of the South American Conference on
Migration

IOM Buenos Aires

Tel:  +54 (11) 5219-2033 2034 2035

or visit "http://www.oimconosur.org" target="_blank" title=
"">www.oimconosur.org