Perspectives on the current state of migration in the region.

XXIII Meeting of the Regional Conference on Migration to be held in Panama City, Panamá, on November 14-15, with previous technical meetings of the Liaison Officer Networks and the Regional Consultation Group on Migration (RCGM) on November 12-13.

The proposed lines of action will be presented to RCM Member Countries for their consideration and validation.

The objective of the workshop is to develop the lines of action for mainstreaming migration into the 2030 Agenda within the framework of the RCM and with the active participation of and in consultation with the Member States, which will subsequently be presented to the Vice Ministers of the RCM Member Countries. The development and facilitation of the workshop will be conducted in coordination with IOM and other international observer organisms, such as ILO, ECLAC, UNDP and UNFPA.

The nature of the Regional Consultation Group on Migration (RCGM) meeting includes the Liaison Officers Network to Combat Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking in Persons, and the Network for Consular Protection. During these meetings, recommendations are issued to Vice-Ministers for consideration at the annual meeting of the RCM. The RCGM calls to government authorities, representatives of civil society and observer organizations to the CRM.

GENERAL OBJECTIVE

To contribute to the improvement of the defense, promotion and protection of the rights of migrant workers and members of their families as carried out by consular entities in the region, by strengthening its officials´ technical and cross-sectional competencies and technical skills.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

• To contribute to the understanding of the main needs of the migrant population in the region in terms of consular protection to exercise their labor rights.
• To exchange on the specific functions and tasks that the consulates of the region should and can assume in relation to the defense, promotion and protection of the labor rights of the migrant population.
• To define and to strengthen the set of skills and competences that the consular staff should have in order to satisfactorily accomplish the relevant functions and tasks.
• To identify points of coordination between consular entities, migration entities and the ministries of labor in order to facilitate information on entry requirements and labor permits, as well as the defense, promotion and protection of labor rights.
• To systematize the experience and generate inputs for eventual replication by state training bodies to consular officials.

DESIRED RESULTS

• That the participants become familiar with the current migratory context of the region and the labor rights situation of migrants.
• That the participants become familiar with and appropriate the main concepts and tools in consular protection for migrant workers and the members of their families.
• That the participants acquire, strengthen and develop some of the skills and competencies necessary to successfully undertake the defense, promotion and protection of the labor rights of migrants workers and the members of their families.
• That the methodology used during the workshop be systematized to facilitate possible replications of the activity, given by state training bodies to consular officials.
• To establish a coordination network between the Ministries of Labor and consular entities agreed on upon between the participants.

The Workshop will focus on the coordination between consular and labor authorities, and as such will not review extensively the roles and mechanisms of coordination with migration authorities. Nevertheless, a second workshop will be organized, in which the agenda will include this matter.