BRIDGETOWN 25 August 2023 – The Government of Barbados and the International Organization for Migration (IOM-UN Migration) signed an agreement Friday, establishing the IOM Coordination Office for the Caribbean and IOM Mission to Barbados, in Bridgetown. This development makes IOM the most recent UN organization to establish a regional and national office in Barbados.

The new IOM Office in Barbados will enable the Organization to best implement migration related initiatives in Barbados and the region. As the Coordination Office for the English and Dutch Speaking Caribbean, the Office also has the responsibility to coordinate IOM’s support to migration opportunities and challenges, in line with its Strategy for the Caribbean, released on 28 July 2023. The Office will be led by Mr. Patrice Quesada as IOM Coordination Officer for the Caribbean and Chief of Mission Barbados.

Now, with its presence in nine countries in the sub-region, IOM can help bring Caribbean countries’ migration governance issues and opportunities to the forefront, including through its engagement with regional institutions, such as CARICOM and OECS. Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kerrie Symmonds of Barbados and Michele Klein-Solomon, Regional Director for IOM Central America, North America and Caribbean signed the document at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in the presence of Deputy Coordinator for IOM Caribbean, Eraina Yaw, and other officials of the Government of Barbados and the United Nations.

“This signing has immense potential to continue to help the Caribbean community to harness the benefits of regular migration, even as we confront the challenges of our time...among those...migration triggered by climate emergencies, and migration triggered by civil instability in our region,” commented Barbados’ Honourable Minister Kerrie Symmonds.

Meanwhile, Regional Director of IOM, Michele Klein-Solomon expressed her pleasure with the new development. “Last year on the 30th of November, Barbados became IOM's 175th Member State, rounding out the membership for the Western Hemisphere, so now all the governments of the Western Hemisphere are Member States of IOM, and we are so pleased to welcome you into the IOM family,” said Klein-Solomon.

Minister Abrahams expressed gratitude for the support of IOM and remarked that the "agreement would allow for the further pooling of resources between IOM and the Government of Barbados to mutual benefit." The Minister further noted that the "Government is currently embarking on the process of fine tuning the new Citizenship and Immigration Legislation for Barbados, and intends to have a managed migration policy to attract the skillsets that would take the Barbados population forward." IOM and the Government of Barbados are pleased to have a formal presence established in Barbados and look forward to continuing to foster collaboration for safe orderly and regular migration to the benefit to all.

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For more information please contact: malleyne@iom.int Communications Officer, IOM Caribbean.