CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Nov 28, CMC – The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Thursday said that discussions have been held with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to plan cooperation activities and programmes surrounding challenges and opportunities with the movement of people in the region.
OECS Director General, Dr Didacus Jules, said the relationship with the IOM has been mutually rewarding “as there are several initiatives where our mandates converge, especially on the issue of migration”.
IOM Coordinating Officer for the Caribbean, Patrice Quesada, in highlighting the importance of collaboration with the OECS, noted “the IOM is pleased to be partnering with the OECS Commission on several key initiatives given the exemplary record of the OECS in advancing regional integration in the region.”
The Commission said for several years, the IOM and the OECS have collaborated on several initiatives that have advanced research and policy development, especially in the areas of regional integration, migration, data management and diaspora engagement.
It said this includes a recent collaboration on initiatives under the UN Security Trust Fund Joint Programme which focuses on strengthening OECS Member States capacity against climate change.
The Joint Programme has led to the development of cross-border protocols to respond to cross-border displacements and the OECS Ministerial Declaration on responding to Environmental Migration and Climate Change.
According to the OECS Commission, the discussions allowed for a review of these initiatives and their successes and participants mapped the path for future engagements in these areas and others of mutual interest.
It said among the topics discussed included emergency preparedness and the tourism sector labour migration policy for the OECS, implementation of the OECS Contingent Rights Policy the CARICOM Regional Migration Policy and the implementation of the OECS Ministerial Declaration
“While the OECS has implemented a successful Free Movement of Persons Regime within the framework of the OECS Economic Union, there are many opportunities where collaboration with the IOM will help strengthen the benefits available to citizens.
“Of note for the OECS delegation was the need to further expand the capacity and scope for collecting data and managing databases as they are significantly important to free movement,” the OECS said in its statement.
It sad the discussion also pursued options for building the capacity of OECS member states to respond more effectively to cross-border displacement caused by climate-induced disasters and other hazards.
“The two organizations will form a collective work programme based on these preliminary discussions. This will guide the activities implemented as part of an existing cooperation agreement between them,” the statement added.
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