UN agencies and CARICOM collaborate on regional migration policy for the Caribbean

A “regional approach” to migration was the focus of discussions during a two-part workshop held at the UN House in Barbados from 1-3 November 2023. Institutions and entities of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), UN agencies, other international and regional development partners, and representatives of civil society came together in response to the 2019 decision of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to create a regional migration policy. 

The UN Network on Migration (UNNM) oriented the group in using the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM)  as a guiding tool for developing an effective regional migration policy for CARICOM, strategically aligned to the region’s ambition of achieving free movement of citizens within the Caribbean Community in 2024. Multi-partner Advisory Groups for policy development met on Day 3 to identify opportunities and needs for further research to inform the policy, in a follow-on event organised by the CARICOM Secretariat in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM-UN Migration). 

The activation of the recently established Advisory Groups is a key milestone in the policy development process for CARICOM, as they will provide support to the Steering Committee and subsequently to national focal points. The Advisory Groups dissected key areas to be addressed in a migration policy, including border management and protection of vulnerable migrants; climate change and adverse drivers of migration; and labour migration and social and economic development. 

IOM’s Coordinator for the Caribbean, Patrice Quesada, noted that the GCM is useful “as a sort of lighthouse to help steer us in the right direction. That's important because the Global Compact is the highest level of consensus ever reached among a vast majority of the member states of the UN system on migration issues; it is truly a goldmine of information to expand our vision on what is migration governance." 

A strategic approach to regional migration can support accelerated progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as good migration governance contributes to all 17 SDGs.  The GCM advocates therefore, for a whole-of-government approach to address key issues related to migration. Francesco Carella, International Labour Organization (ILO) Regional Specialist on Labour Migration and Mobility, noted the connection of migration to all the SDGs. He commented on the correlation of migration with gender for instance.

"We see that out of all Caribbean migrants in the United States for example, 55 per cent are women; that in the case of Caribbean countries, such as Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, over 50 per cent of the migrants are women; in the case of Barbados, approximately 60 per cent. So it's crucial to take that aspect into account.” 

The workshop and meeting of the Advisory Groups were supported through a collaboration with IOM’s Coordination Office for the Caribbean and the UNNM which comprises UN organizations with cross cutting responsibility for migration. The European Union funded the activity under the Building Migration Partnerships Programme. The overall initiative for a “regional approach to migration policy” is supported jointly by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) and by the European Union. 

The next phases in this policy development process include gaining feedback and consensus from CARICOM Member States on the roadmap that was developed over 2023 and the activities scheduled for the next 14 months. These activities include hiring of consultants to complete the policy framework and provide coordination support for CARICOM; capacity building and sensitization in CARICOM Member States; and the development of a communications plan and a fundraising strategy to support the implementation of the policy through capacity building, research, technical support and investment in key infrastructure, contributing towards further regional integration among CARICOM Member States.

For more information contact Brendan Tarnay, IOM Project Coordinator: btarnay@iom.int