Regional Strategy

Migration processes are multidimensional and represent significant opportunities and challenges for countries. As the leading international organization in the field of human mobility, the Regional Office for the Americas directs its efforts to highlight the economic, social, and cultural contributions of migrants towards the sustainable development of societies.

To this end, it cooperates with the States of the region and provides assistance to migrants and communities through its Regional Strategy, which is based on three pillars: resilience, mobility, and governance.

The strategy emphasizes the crucial role that the IOM plays in emergency situations, building the resilience of communities and populations on the move, especially those in vulnerable situations, by strengthening governments' capacities to manage all forms and impacts of migration.

Additionally, the IOM aligns its work with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development within the context of the United Nations system. The commitment to leave no one behind can only be achieved with full consideration of migrants, their families, and communities, through a human rights perspective.

You can download the Regional Strategy here.

IOM Collaboration with Other United Nations Bodies in the Region

The Regional Office for the Americas actively collaborates with United Nations bodies at regional and national levels. Various areas of regional cooperation and experiences specifically related to migration contribute to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This is achieved through information and policy collection repositories, institutional strengthening, and regional initiatives to coordinate policy guidelines and responses, and analyze the links between migration and development.

Promoting data collection and systematization supports evidence-based governance and policies and combats negative narratives about migrants.

Within the process of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, UN migration networks at the country level serve as essential platforms for providing a coherent response, addressing each country's migration priorities.

At the regional level, the IOM and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) lead the review process of the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration, with the participation of other UN entities. This process is a fundamental step for Member States to advance the implementation of the Global Compact for Migration. Since its integration into the United Nations system, IOM has deepened coordination with various regional institutions within the system, progressively participating in United Nations Country Teams (UNCT) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Group for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNSDG LAC), taking a leadership role in migrations.
 

IOM Participation in Regional Mechanisms

Given the importance of regional dialogue mechanisms and their proven effectiveness in addressing regional migration challenges, the IOM considers it vital to strengthen these dialogue mechanisms. The Organization will build on progress made in institutionalizing the discourse on good migration governance in the region, based on the principles and objectives outlined in the IOM Strategic Results Framework.

The IOM has been working closely with the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) focusing on specialized programming with some of its migration-related mechanisms. The IOM also provides technical assistance to the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), and the Pacific Alliance.

It also maintains strong ties with the South American Conference on Migration (CSM) and the Ibero-American Network of Migration Authorities (RIAM), forums where the IOM serves as Technical Secretariat.

Through technical assistance, particularly in areas of humanitarian assistance, documentation, and economic integration, the IOM—together with other United Nations organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)—supports the so-called Quito Process, a cooperation mechanism developed by the governments of 11 South and Central American countries to address the humanitarian and migration challenges arising from the Venezuelan crisis. It represents an informal group that has agreed on 18 points of action and has called for increased funding for the assistance of Venezuelan migrants and refugees by the participating countries, with the support of the United Nations and other "specialized international organizations."