MEETING BETWEEN THE MEMBER COUNTRIES OF THE REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON MIGRATION AND THE COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN OF IRREGULAR AND EXTRA-CONTINENTAL MIGRATION

The Foreign Ministry’s Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, Ambassador Juan Manuel Gómez Robledo, and the Commissioner of the National Migration Institute, Salvador Beltran del Rio, inaugurated a meeting today between the member countries of the Regional Conference on Migration ( RCM) and some of the countries of origin of irregular and extra-continental migration.

Representatives from the RCM member countries and the following six countries of origin participated: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Representatives from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also attended.

In his speech, Ambassador Gómez Robledo emphasized the importance of discussing the challenges caused by the increasing number of irregular migrants in Mexico and Central America and of seeking a way to better protect and defend the human rights of extra-continental migrants.

He also said that the dynamism of this type of migration requires that more attention is paid to it and that it is better managed between countries. He also discussed the possibility of extending the network of diplomatic missions in the countries of Africa and Asia to strengthen the attention that is paid to this type of migration, pointing to the new Mexican embassies that have been opened in Ethiopia and Nigeria.

Salvador Beltran del Rio said that the current global scenario requires all regions and countries to implement efficient border controls and to manage migration so that countries have accurate information about the migrants who cross their borders in order to facilitate their mobility and ensure their safety.

He also stressed that the Mexican government is committed to designing ways to respond appropriately and to address and overcome the challenges presented by irregular extra-continental migration. He said that from January 2010 to June 2012, 3,802 extra-continental migrants have come to Mexico, mainly from China, India, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia, of which 448 were returned.

The delegations will meet for two days to discuss the evolution and trends of extra-continental migration in a regional context in order to take steps to strengthen coordination with the consulates in the countries of origin. They will also discuss how to best protect and assist extra-continental migrants and the challenges involved in returning and re-integrating them into their home countries.

The Regional Conference on Migration or Puebla Process was established in 1996 and is a multilateral regional forum on international migration for countries sharing, albeit from different perspectives, a common problem and experiences involving the origin, transit and destination of migrants.

The CRM currently has 11 member countries: Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and the United States.