The number of international migrants living abroad for work, education, displacement due to violence or climate change is steadily increasing. When disasters occur, migrants may face specific challenges in accessing vital information and assistance.
In line with IOM's Regional Strategy 2020-2024 for Central America, North America and the Caribbean, the Western Hemisphere Program seeks to strengthen the capacity of governments to manage all forms and impacts of mobility in emergencies and crises, and to build the resilience of communities and populations on the move, especially those in situations of vulnerability.
Leveraging tools such as the Guidelines for the Protection of Migrants in Countries Affected by Conflict or Natural Disasters (MICIC) and the Migration Crisis Operational Framework (MCOF), IOM promotes actions and public policies that support the integration of migrants’ needs and perspectives in emergency prevention, preparedness and response systems, in accordance with IOM’s principle to ensure that migration benefits all people.
It is important to note the link between climate change and emergencies. Climate change intensifies the magnitude and frequency of related hazards of hydrological origin, like floods; meteorological, like storms; climatological, like droughts and even biological, like the increase of infections such as zika and dengue. As these natural hazards may cause human mobility in critical situations, IOM addresses both topics considering this link.
Reducing the vulnerability of migrants in emergencies
Informative booklet about IOM's capacity building work to implement the MICIC guidelines.
MICIC tool: Preparedness Training for Migrants. Facilitator's handbook.
This MICIC module aims to provide migrants with basic awareness on the main risks they may face in their respective host countries and locations, basic preparedness measures they can take to protect themselves, and key emergency-related sources of information and assistance in the host country.
Training authorities to include tourists in response to crises
The International Organization for Migration, in partnership with the Discover Dominica Authority (DDA), conducted a two-day workshop in April 2021, on the topic “Protecting Visitors to Dominica in Times of Crisis”. Using case studies from Tropical Storm Erika and Hurricane Maria, the workshop highlighted what worked well in providing protection to visitors who were on island at the time, and to draw lessons from the areas that needed improvement within the framework of IOM’s Migrants in Countries in Crisis (MICIC) guidelines.
Click below to see the video!
Mexico-Emergency Tracking, Southern Border Monitoring In The Context Of COVID-19, Round #2, JULY 2020
This report presents a baseline evaluation for the month of July in order to know the status of the official Points of Entry (PoE) and the provision of services for migrants on the southern border of Mexico, specifically in Tapachula in the state of Chiapas and Tenosique and Villahermosa in Tabasco under the context of COVID-19.
Toolkit for Development Partners: Integrating Migration into COVID-19 Socio-economic Response
Informed by the “UN Framework for the Immediate Socio‑Economic Response to COVID‑19”, and relevant EU and UN policy frameworks, the Toolkit provides analysis and practical tools to enable policymakers and practitioners to deal with the ways in which migration and sustainable development interact within the context of the COVID‑19 pandemic.
Effects of COVID-19 on Migrants in Central America and the Caribbean: main findings
This study was conducted throughout the month of June, 2020, by digital means and using snowball sampling. Findings are based on 1660 valid answers and include three population segments: extraregional migrants in Central America and Mexico, people from Central America or Mexico who are migrants in any place of the world and people who are native to Central America or Mexico and who plan on migrating.
Summary of main findings of the survey: COVID-19 effects on migrants in Central America and Mexico
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) presents the main findings of a survey addressed to migrants (in their home countries or residing, potential or in transit) of Central America and
Mexico. The main goal was to generate data for the analysis of the COVID-19 repercussions on migrants that can guide the response of the multiple actors involved in health response,
migration management and strategies for socioeconomic recovery. This document summarizes the main results of the survey.
Results of poll conducted with young people in the north of Central America, in the context of the sanitary emergency caused by COVID-19
In this document you will find the results of a poll that was conducted to know the perceptions of young people in the communities where C4D campaigns have been implemented in the north of Central América. The focus was international migration and the feasibility of achieving thier goals in the context of COVID-19, and in the medium-term future.
Panama- Emergency Tracking: Migratory Receiving Stations And COVID-19 Pandemic (May 26th)
The information in this report is collected by IOM Panama staff in Darién and Chiriquí, through field monitoring, multi-sectoral assessments through key informants, as well as regular information exchange at the technical level, and at the central level of the United Nations Inter-Agency Group on Human Mobility.
Standard Operating Procedures for Front-Line Border Officials at the Point of Entry in Response to COVID-19 Outbreak
The purpose of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) is to provide quick guidance to border officials to prevent disease transmission and contamination of the working and living premises by COVID-19, as well as effectively manage suspected and/or probable COVID-19 cases.