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Inter-American Program for the Promotion and
Protection
of the Human Rights of Migrants, Including Migrant Workers
and their Families.
Program Objectives: The primary objectives of
the Inter-American Program developed during this process are
the promotion and the protection of the human rights of
migrants through the development of cooperative actions and
best practices, through the integration of concrete actions
in the work of organs, organisms, and organizations of the
OAS, and by the joining together of these activities with
the advances of the member states, multilateral
organizations, and civil society.
The Program also establishes a series of specific objectives
for the protection of the human rights of migrants. These
objectives span from the exchange of best practices and
cooperation between countries of origin, transit, and
destination, to attention to the special needs of vulnerable
groups of migrants (such as children, women, and indigenous,
etc.).
Program Activities: In its text, the Program
delegates 33 specific activities intended for the protection
of the human rights of migrants in different areas of the
General Secretariat of the OAS. Among others, these
activities include the study and the dissemination of
national migratory legislation, the exchange of information
and technical assistance in the area of human rights with
state governments and government officials, the development
of programs for the protection of migrant women and
children, research into the political participation of
migrants, and the exchange of best practices between the
different actors of this Program.
Additionally, the Program delegates almost 70 activities to
the member states and other actors of the Program. These
activities include to sign, to ratify, or to adhere to
international and Inter-American instruments of human rights
and the rights of migrants, to review their legislation to
ensure that it is compatible with their obligation to
respect the human rights of migrants, to train their
government officials to perform functions related to
migration within the migratory legal framework and the
protection of human rights of migrants, etc.
Program Background: The Program was drafted by
the Working Group of the Permanent Council’s Committee on
Juridical and Political Affairs in response to General
Assembly resolutions [AG/RES.
1404 XVI-O/96] and [AG/RES.
1480 XXVII-O/97]. In this regard, the Working Group
approved the program at its meeting held on May, 18, 2005,
later approved in final form by General Assembly resolution
[AG/RES.
2141 (XXXV-O/05)].
The Working Group met for a period of 18 months in
Washington, D.C. with broad participation of government
experts and representatives of the OAS and its organs as
well as multilateral, intergovernmental and civil society
organizations. The Permanent Council also convened a Special
Session in order to proceed to an exchange of best
practices, information and new propositions that could
potentially be incorporated in the Program.
In accordance with the resolution [AG/RES.
2248 (XXXVI-O/06)] of the General Assembly, the
Permanent Council is requested to: “hold a Special Session
in the second half of 2006 to consider, analyze, and discuss
human migration flows, their impact on the member states,
and their relation to the human rights of migrant workers
and their families, with the participation of all
stakeholders, including the Special Rapporteur of the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)”. |
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