On November 15, the 45th Ordinary Meeting of the Central American Commission of Migration Directors (OCAM) was held in Guatemala City. OCAM has joined the Central American Integration System (SICA), which was created in October 1990, in San José, Costa Rica, at the request of the Central American Presidents within the framework of the Central American Economic Action Plan (PAECA). PAECA brings the migration authorities of the region together, including Panama, Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

In the meeting, key migration issues in the region were discussed. I was positively struck by the fact that such a broad spectrum of forms of migrations was covered. From irregular migration, trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling, to the free movement of people, innovation and the creation of opportunities in places of expulsion and the voluntary return of migrants, among others.

In opening speech, Guatemala’s Vice President, Jafeth Cabrera Franco, underlined the challenge posed by the gangs in the region, as well as the need to continue working on implementing the Partnership Plan for Prosperity of the Northern Triangle Countries. In her closing remarks, Mrs. Gilda Patricia Marroquín de Morales, 1st Lady of Guatemala, highlighted the need to work in places of expulsion of migrants. The presence of such high authorities at the event reveals the importance of the migration issue for the Guatemalan Government.

I would like to highlight four of OCAM’s opportunities for regional and continental projection:

1. A Comprehensive Migration Policy in the region. At the regional level, I want to point out the approval of the Integral Regional Migration Policy, which will include guidelines on protection and assistance during migration crises. A topic that complements a base of guidelines that form a comprehensive vision and that will allow to manage migration at different levels. This could become the migration road map for the countries of the region. We hope that this Regional Migration Policy will be approved at the Summit of Presidents that is scheduled for the end of this year.

2. Mechanisms of interaction between the OCAM and the RIAM. A second achievement that will facilitate the construction of a continental migration agenda is the definition of interaction mechanisms between OCAM and the Ibero-American Network of Migration Authorities (RIAM). The Pro-Tempore Presidency was recently transferred from Panama to Peru, where the next encounter will be held in 2018. In its 5th edition, the RIAM has generated an interesting exchange of good practices. However, RIAM must advance in the area of identification and coordination of actions on specific issues. Topics of continental interest such as the smuggling of migrants, trafficking in persons and the humanitarian protection of migrants in emergency situations, to name a few. 

3. Participation in the construction of the Global Compact on Migration. OCAM has raised the need to appropriate and participate actively in the construction of the global agenda on migration through the Global Compact on Migration (GCM). Regarding the GCM, I would like to highlight the participation of the migration authorities of the national consultations in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. The results of these consultations will be sent to the ambassadors’, Luis Arbor’s office, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations for the GCM.

Next year we will be facing the challenge of working with OCAM on the formulation of the documents and agreements that will give life to the GCM, which will be approved in September 2018 by the General Assembly of the UN. Without a doubt, the GCM is the most important tool for us to ensure adequate governance of migration, strengthened cooperation among countries and respect for the human rights of migrants, irrespective of their migratory status.

4. Global development through the SDGs. The Sustainable Development Goals or "the 2030 Agenda" are currently the most relevant tool for building a fairer and more inclusive society as well as for achieving prosperity while protecting the planet. Migration is a transversal theme in many of the 17 objectives, their targets and indicators. Goal 10 is particularly important: "Reduction of inequalities", with its Goal 10.7: " Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies " This goal includes indicator 10.7.2: "Number of countries that have implemented well-managed migration policies.”

In this sense, the SDGs offer the countries in the region and OCAM the opportunity to connect to development through a global perspective. This can only be achieved through an adequate follow-up of the 2030 Agenda, in which migration authorities of the region are called to gather and provide high quality data that will guide the creation of relevant policies and programs. Additionally, institutional systems and sub-systems that ensure adequate coordination at central and local level, including actors such as the civil society, academia and the private sector are crucial to ensuring success. For its part, IOM reinstates its commitment to continue providing support in these processes by providing tools such as the Migration Governance Index for example, that allow evaluating processes in favor of better migration governance.

This year’s OCAM meeting was a great success. There are many challenges and opportunities lying ahead, which only motivates us to continue our work to ensure that migration becomes the result of a voluntary decision, that the migration process can be regular and that migration becomes an active driver for development in the region.