IOM Regional Office

The Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), located in Panama, was created in 2024 following the merger of the Regional Office for South America (in Buenos Aires, Argentina) and the Regional Office for Central America, North America and the Caribbean (in San José, Costa Rica). 

The Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean supports and guides the activities implemented by IOM country offices in the region, as well as plans and coordinates strategies. 

At the same time, through its different offices, it provides technical support and supports government efforts in developing their policies, national frameworks and other areas of migration issues in response to the needs of migrants, in order to strengthen migration management systems. 

The work of the Regional Office is structured into different units: Resource Management, Regional Thematic Specialists, Project Support Unit, Project Development and Donor Relations, Policy and Institutional Relations, and Media and Communication. 

The Regional Thematic Specialists group includes: 

• Migrant Assistance and Protection 
• Labor Migration 
• Migration and Health 
• Migration and Climate Change 
• Migration and border management.

About IOM

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), established in 1951, has been part of the United Nations system since 2016 and is the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration. 

With 175 Member States, 8 other Observer States and offices in 171 countries, IOM is dedicated to the promotion of humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all people. To this end, the Organization supports migrants worldwide by formulating effective responses to changing migration dynamics and provides advice on migration policy and practice. 

IOM also cooperates with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners to enhance the resilience of people on the move, particularly vulnerable populations. It also works closely with governments to manage all forms of mobility and its effects. As part of these efforts, operations are carried out in some of the world's most complex emergency contexts. 

IOM's Constitution recognizes the link between migration and economic, social and cultural development, as well as the right to freedom of movement. 

IOM's work is articulated around these three objectives: 

• Saving lives and protecting people on the move: To this end, IOM puts the safety, dignity and protection of people first in the most difficult contexts of global crisis response.

• Promoting solutions to displacement: To realize this purpose, IOM strives to reduce the risks and effects arising from climate change, environmental degradation, conflict and instability for the benefit of communities affected by displacement or at risk of displacement.

• Facilitating regular migration pathways: To this end, IOM prioritizes the use of pan-governmental and pan-social approaches to link people, goods, services, knowledge and innovations in a safe and secure manner.