strategic vision

Type: Regional consultative process on migration (region: Americas)

Formal association with regional or multi-stakeholder organization: Central American Integration System (SICA)

Established: 1990

Objectives

The Central American Commission of Migration Directors (originally called the Central American Organization of Migration - OCAM) was instituted in San Jose, Costa Rica, in 1990, following the request of the Central American presidents in the framework of the Central American Economic Action Plan (PAECA) of SICA. It is a regional mechanism that addresses migration issues in Central America and coordinates policies in three fundamental axes: migration, human rights, migration, and development. The focus areas of OCAM are legislation, information systems, human rights, security, infrastructure, documentation, cooperation, labor, procedures, and policies. The OCAM objective is to have a regional coordination, agreement, and consultation mechanism for the treatment of the migratory phenomenon.

 

The axes of OCAM projects are:

  • Legislation: legal framework, agreements, manuals, glossaries of terms, national and international legislation, political mechanisms to achieve method stability, regularization of programs.
  • Information Systems: technology platforms, software and hardware, exchange of information, information collecting procedures, collection and analyzing of migration data, pre-screening, coordination of “invisible” migration structures and Advanced Passenger Information Systems (APIS).
  • Human Rights: the fight against and prevention of migrant smuggling and human trafficking, safe repatriation and return, return, of regional and extra regional migrants, protection of victims.
  • Safety: protection, surveillance, prevention, modernization of migration management, strengthening of borders, and integrated controls.
  • Infrastructure: unification, technological improvements, modernization, sanitization of border zones.
  • Travel Documents: Central American passports, entrance and return cards, vehicle documentation, card of residency, boarding cards, special passes for coast arrivals.
  • Cooperation: projects, trainings, investigations, technical and financial assistance.
  • Work: Labour migration
  • Procedures: schedules, stays, revenue, integrated border controls, coordination of document requirements for migrants, collections of migration fees, procedures, documentation, instrument implementation and common procedures.
  • Political: Commitment, declarations, agreements, regulations, approval of regional migratory acts.

Current Thematic Focus

  • Policies and management of migration (legislation, procedures and policies)
  • Human Rights
  • Migration and development
  • Information systems, security, infrastructure, documentation
  • Cooperation
  • Labour migration

Chairing Country

The presidency pro tempore represents OCAM's Board of Directors. This post is assumed by each member country of OCAM for the duration of 6 months, on a rotating basis and in geographic order.

  • Current Chair: Nicaragua (July - December 2024)
  • Past Chairs: Honduras (January 2024), El Salvador (July 2023), Belize (January 2023), Dominican Republic (July 2022), Panama (January 2022), Guatemala (July 2021), Costa Rica (January 2021), Nicaragua (2020), Honduras (2020), El Salvador (2019), Guatemala (2019), Honduras (2018)

Commissions

The Technical Permanent Commission: During its XVI ordinary meeting, OCAM created its Technical Permanent Commission (CTP) that has been shaped by the technical personnel of the Migration Directorates and Services of the region. Its objective is the development of actions linked with the analysis, activities and other technical aspects in the field of migration that require specific permanent actions between member countries.

The Technical Commission on Information Technology: During the XI special OCAM meeting the need for a Technical Commission on Information Technology (CTI) was addressed. It was decided that this Commission will be made up of the heads of information of Directorates of Migration of the region, or their representatives, CTI responsibilities include consultation on information technology, the completion of studies and above all the contribution to the Project on regional migratory management.

Secretariat

OCAM emerged from the Central American Integration System (SICA) and at its inception, the institution head of the Technical Secretariat was the Economic Integration Secretariat of Central America (SIECA).

Since January of 1999, IOM assumed the role as the Technical Secretariat of OCAM, in accordance with the General Secretariat of SICA, to support the regional migratory activities implemented by the Commission.

General Secretary for the Central American Integration System is in charge of ensuring that OCAM maintains a significant role in migratory issues in the Central American Integration

System and guarantees its sustainability and political strength and that legal agreements are upheld.

 

Members

Member States (8 states)

  • Belize
  • Costa Rica
  • Dominican Republic
  • El Salvador
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • Nicaragua
  • Panama

Member organizations (1 organization)

  • Central American Integration System (SICA)
Observers

Observer organizations (1 organization)

  • National Institute of Migration, Mexico (INAMI)
Board of Directors

Composed by the Directors of Immigration Services of Central America as representatives of member countries:

  • Department of Immigration and Nationality Services, Belize
  • Commissioner of Migration, Guatemala
  • General Directorate of Migration, El Salvador
  • General Directorate of Migration, Honduras
  • General Directorate of Migration, Nicaragua
  • General Directorate of Migration, Costa Rica
  • National Service of Migration, Panam

 

Meetings
  • June 27, 2024, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 58th (LVIII) OCAM Ordinary Meeting and Presidency transfer to Nicaragua
  • December 12, 2023, San Salvador, El Salvador, 57th (LVII) OCAM Ordinary Meeting and transfer of Chairmanship to Honduras
  • November 15, 2023, Virtual event, 3rd Meeting of the Permanent Technical Commission
  • October 18, 2023, Virtual event, 2nd Meeting of the Permanent Technical Commission
  • September 13, 2023, Virtual event, 1st Meeting of the Permanent Technical Commission
  • June 29, 2023, Belize City, Belize, the 56th (LVI) OCAM Ordinary Meeting and transfer of Chairmanship to El Salvador
  • December 13, 2022, Dominican Republic, LV Ordinary Meeting of the OCAM
  • June 13-14, 2022, Panama City - Panama, LIV Ordinary Meeting of the OCAM
  • November 16, 2021, Virtual Event, LIII Ordinary Meeting of the OCAM
  • June 30, 2021, Virtual Event, LII Ordinary Meeting of the OCAM
  • December 20, 2020, Virtual Event, LI Ordinary Meeting of the OCAM
  • June 30, 2020, Virtual Event, (L) OCAM Regular Meeting
  • March 18, 2020, Virtual Event, XXV Special Meeting of OCAM
  • June 5-6, 2019, Guatemala, 48th (XLVIII) OCAM Regular Meeting
  • November 6, 2018, San Ignacio, Belize, 47th (XLVII) OCAM meeting
  • June 27, 2018, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, XLVI (46th) Regular Meeting of OCAM
  • 2017, Guatemala, 45ª Reunión Ordinaria de la Comisión Centroamericana de Directores y Directoras de Migración (OCAM)
  • 2016, Panama, XLII Special Routine OCAM Meeting
  • 2013, Costa Rica, XX Special Meeting of OCAM
  • 2013, Honduras, XXXVII Routine OCAM Meeting
  • 2013, Nicaragua, XXI Special Meeting of OCAM
  • 2012, Costa Rica, XXXVI Routine OCAM Meeting
  • 2011, Nicaragua, XXXIV Routine OCAM Meeting
  • 2011, El Salvador, XXXIII Routine OCAM Meeting
  • 2011, El Salvador, XXXV Routine OCAM Meeting
  • 2010, El Salvador, XXXI Routine OCAM Meeting
  • 2010, Honduras, XXXII Routine OCAM Meeting
  • 2010, El Salvador, XVIII Special Meeting of OCAM
  • 2010, Guatemala, XIX Special Meeting of OCAM
  • 2009, Guatemala, XXX Routine OCAM Meeting
  • 2009, Costa Rica, XVII Special Meeting of OCAM
  • 2008, Costa Rica, XXIX Routine OCAM Meeting
  • 2007, Honduras, XV Special Meeting of OCAM
  • 2007, United States of America, XVI Special Meeting of OCAM
  • 2007, Belize, XXVII Routine OCAM Meeting
  • 2007, Panama, XXVIII Routine OCAM Meeting
Documents
  • Deed of Agreement of the XV Special Meeting of OCAM, Honduras, 2007.
  • Deed of Agreement of the XVI Special Meeting of OCAM, United States, 2007.
  • Deed of Agreement of the XXVII Routine OCAM Meeting, Belize, 2007.
  • Deed of Agreement of the XXVIII Routine OCAM Meeting, Panama, 2007.
  • Deed of Agreement of the XXIX Routine OCAM Meeting, Costa Rica, 2008
  • Deed of Agreement of the XXX Routine OCAM Meeting, Guatemala, 2009.
  • Deed of Agreement of the XVII Special Meeting of OCAM, Costa Rica, 2009
  • Deed of Agreement of the XXXI Routine OCAM Meeting, El Salvador, 2010.
  • Deed of Agreement of the XVIII Special Meeting of OCAM, El Salvador, 2010.
  • Deed of Agreement of the XXXII Routine OCAM Meeting, Honduras, 2010.
  • Deed of Agreement of the XIX Special Meeting of OCAM, Guatemala, 2010.
  • Deed of Agreement of the XXXIII Routine OCAM Meeting, El Salvador, 2011.
  • Deed of Agreement of the XXXIV Routine OCAM Meeting, Nicaragua, 2011.
  • Deed of Agreement of the XXXV Routine OCAM Meeting, El Salvador, 2011.
  • Deed of Agreement of the XXXVI Routine OCAM Meeting, Costa Rica, 2012.
  • Deed of Agreement of the XX Special Meeting of OCAM, Costa Rica, 2013.
  • Deed of Agreement of the XXXVII Routine OCAM Meeting, Honduras, 2013.
  • Deed of Agreement of the XXI Special Meeting of OCAM, Nicaragua, 2013.
  • Deed of Agreement of the XLII Special Routine OCAM Meeting, Panama, 2016.
  • Reglamento Interno de la OCAM-2000
  • Reglamento de la Comisión Centroamericana de Directores de Migración (OCAM)
  • Acta de Acuerdo de la Comisión Centroamericana de Directores de Migración 1998
  • Comisión Centroaméricana de Directores de Migración 

 

Contact Information

IOM Regional Office for Central and North America and the Caribbean
Avenida Central entre calles 27 y 29, Casa 2775
San José, Costa Rica
Tel.:     +506 22 12 53 00
Fax:     +506 22 22 05 90
E-mail:  ROSanJose@iom.int; ocamst@iom.int

Webpage
http://rosanjose.iom.int/site/en/iom-and-ocam
https://www.sica.int/ocam/noticias

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