OIM - IOM Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean 2025-2029 de 2026

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

2025–2029 IOM STRATEGY FORIOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental organization, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants.

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Email: hq@iom.int Website: www.iom.int Silvia, from Santa Apolonia, Guatemala, has learned to become an entrepreneu r, a significant step in a community where traditional social roles often limit women’s opportunities. © IOM 2024/Muse MOHAMMED I nternational Organization for Mig ration (IOM) (2026). IOM Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean 2025–2029. IOM, Geneva.

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2025–2029

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2025–2029 IOM STRATEGY FORKelly Raos is a beneficiary of an IOM reintegration programme in Honduras that helped her develop various vocational skills. © IOM 2023/Sonia LAGOSFOREWORD BY THE IOM DIRECTOR GENERAL...................................................................................................7 FOREWORD BY THE IOM REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN ...............................................................................................9 ABOUT IOM ...............................................................................................................................................................................10

IOM IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN .................................................................................................11

MIGRATION OUTLOOK FOR THE REGION ...........................................................................................................12 STRATEGIC PRIORITIES ........................................................................................................................................................14 SYNERGIES WITH REGIONAL PROCESSES ..............................................................................................................23 PARTNERSHIPS ..........................................................................................................................................................................24 CROSS-CUTTING PRIORITIES .........................................................................................................................................27 ENABLERS ....................................................................................................................................................................................29

CONTENTS

5 IOM STRATEGY FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 2025–2029Migration in Latin America and the Caribbean is a complex phenomenon that requires balanced and coordinated approaches. This strategy reaffirms IOM’s commitment to working with governments to manage this complexity to ensure migration is safe, orderly, regular and beneficial for all. Amy E. POPE IOM Director GeneralMigration is an ever-present force that shapes the lives of millions – in the regions people leave behind, the places they journey through and the ones in which they arrive. The growing complexity of the migration landscape, resulting from various factors – from environmental change to conflict to economic disparities – means that cooperation between neighbouring States and regional actors is essential to ensure that migration is safe, orderly and regular. This IOM Regional Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean 2025–2029 builds on the IOM Strategic Plan 2024–2028 and highlights how IOM will

that cooperation between neighbouring States and regional actors is essential to ensure that migration is safe, orderly and regular. This IOM Regional Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean 2025–2029 builds on the IOM Strategic Plan 2024–2028 and highlights how IOM will work with partners throughout the region to meet migration challenges. By building on local capacities and knowledge, we can craft solutions that address the specific needs of Latin America and the Caribbean region while promoting sustainable outcomes for migrants and communities alike. This reflects IOM’s vision of delivering on the promise of migration, enabling it to serve as a force for development and prosperity. We must be collaborative and agile to achieve that vision, working together to protect the most vulnerable, address the root causes of rising displacement and facilitate the regular migration pathways that meet the greater demand for migrant workers. The implementation of this Regional Strategy will ensure that we continue to work across borders, supporting migrants through a coordinated, inclusive approach that aligns with both regional and global priorities. Together with our partners, IOM will continue to deliver on the promise of migration, ensuring its benefits are shared and that no one is left behind.

FOREWORD BY THE IOM

DIRECTOR GENERAL

Am y E. PO PE

IO M Director General

Amy E. POPE

IOM Director General 7 IOM STRATEGY FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 2025–2029Juan Fermín Díaz, 17, from Guatemala, is determined to stay in his country despite the pressures to migrate. Through a tree cultivation programme, he is learning to combat environmental change and help his community. © IOM 2024/Muse MOHAMMEDMigration has long had a profound impact on the Latin America and the Caribbean region, building and enriching communities and countries, and opening new opportunities for migrants and their families. This legacy is one of the region’s greatest strengths. We must ensure that migration is safe, orderly and regular. We must guarantee effective and full respect

Latin America and the Caribbean region, building and enriching communities and countries, and opening new opportunities for migrants and their families. This legacy is one of the region’s greatest strengths. We must ensure that migration is safe, orderly and regular. We must guarantee effective and full respect for human rights and humane treatment of migrants, regardless of their migration status. This Regional Strategy aims to realize the full potential of migration. Together, we will build a future where migration remains a source of strength and opportunity for everyone, particularly for the most vulnerable.

FOREWORD BY THE IOM REGIONAL DIRECTOR

FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN María Moita IOM Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean 9 IOM STRATEGY FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 2025–2029ABOUT IOM Established in 1951, IOM is the leading United Nations agency on migration and the principal intergovernmental organization in the field of migration. It works closely with its key stakeholders – migrants and Member States – to promote safe, orderly and regular migration. This involves providing services and advice to governments, migrants and other stakeholders in order to maximize the benefits and opportunities of migration and reduce its challenges. IOM currently has more than 175 Member States, offices in over 550 field locations and over 22,730 staff, 90 per cent of whom are deployed in the field. The Organization’s work at all levels is shaped by the three objectives set out in the IOM Strategic Plan 2024–2028: saving lives and protecting people on the move; driving solutions to displacement; and facilitating pathways for regular migration. As recognized in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, migration and sustainable development are inextricably linked. The Sustainable Development Goals – and the commitment to leave no one behind – will not be met without due consideration for migration. Additionally, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is grounded in the 2030 Agenda and promotes a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to address this link.

Goals – and the commitment to leave no one behind – will not be met without due consideration for migration. Additionally, the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration is grounded in the 2030 Agenda and promotes a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to address this link. In addition to assisting IOM country offices, the Organization’s regional offices play a critical role in supporting regional migration processes by facilitating dialogue, cooperation and capacity-building among countries within their regions to address migration challenges and harness the benefits of migration. The Regional Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean will bring greater coherence and impact to IOM’s activities in the region and allow for a joined-up approach to the way the Organization designs and delivers its operations. It brings new perspectives and new approaches, allowing the IOM Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean to contribute to the Organization’s vision to deliver on the promise of migration, while supporting the world’s most vulnerable. 10 IOM STRATEGY FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 2025–2029IOM IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN In Latin America and the Caribbean, IOM currently has over 120 field offices and more than 2,550 staff. 1 The Regional Office, 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). It provides technical support and oversight to 30 countries in the region, covering 13 in the Caribbean (Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Sint Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago), 7 in Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama) 2 and 10 in South America (Argentina, the Plurinational

Haiti, Jamaica, Sint Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago), 7 in Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama) 2 and 10 in South America (Argentina, the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela). IOM works closely with government representatives from national, regional and subregional entities to facilitate orderly and humane migration while upholding State sovereignty, the aim being to deliver positive outcomes for migrants and their communities. In 2025, IOM’s active projects in the region were budgeted at a total of USD 508 million and encompassed humanitarian operations, emergency 1 As at 31 December 2025. 2 IOM wound up its activities in Nicaragua in 2025 following the country’s withdrawal from the Organization. preparedness and response, protection and assistance for migrants in situations of vulnerability, return, readmission and reintegration, integration and social cohesion, community development and stabilization, climate and environmental change, immigration and border management, labour migration, capacitybuilding for governments and peacebuilding. The portfolio also included targeted policy and liaison support to help Member States and United Nations partners advance Global Compact for Migration implementation and review, translating evidence into coordinated action. IOM is also a key participant in major regional migration-related platforms, serving as co-chair of the United Nations Network on Migration in the region together with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and providing the technical secretariat for key regional processes such as the South American Conference on Migration, the Quito Process, the Central American Commission of Migration Directors and the Ibero-American Network of Migration Authorities. IOM also provides technical support to, and is the administrative host of, the Executive Secretariat of the Regional Conference on Migration. 11

such as the South American Conference on Migration, the Quito Process, the Central American Commission of Migration Directors and the Ibero-American Network of Migration Authorities. IOM also provides technical support to, and is the administrative host of, the Executive Secretariat of the Regional Conference on Migration. 11 IOM STRATEGY FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 2025–2029MIGRATION OUTLOOK FOR THE REGION Migration dynamics in Latin America and the Caribbean are entering a period of heightened complexity shaped by evolving factors such as policy changes, socioeconomic conditions, disasters and extreme weather events, conflict and insecurity, all of which are driving greater mobility and transforming the region’s migration landscape. In the past half decade, the number of international migrants in Latin America and the Caribbean rose from 14.3 million in 2020 to 17.5 million in 2024, representing an increase of 23 per cent. 3 Of this total, around 80 per cent moved within the region itself, mainly in South America. Although migration flows were once predominantly northbound, they are increasingly shifting in response to the evolving factors mentioned above. Escalating organized crime and widespread security deterioration, including the increasing prevalence of violence against women and girls, are driving displacement, eroding community resilience and creating high-risk environments in the region. Expanding criminal networks, illegal mining, disputes over territorial control and corruption continue to destabilize communities and displace populations. By the end of 2024, 9.5 million people had been internally displaced by violence and conflicts. 4 In these contexts, vulnerable groups – including women, girls, Indigenous peoples and rural communities – face heightened protection risks. The protracted nature of internal displacement in the region underscores the urgent need to find effective solutions and address the underlying causes of violenceand conflict-driven displacement. Rapid shifts in migration policies – especially in the United States of America – are also reshaping regional

communities – face heightened protection risks. The protracted nature of internal displacement in the region underscores the urgent need to find effective solutions and address the underlying causes of violenceand conflict-driven displacement. Rapid shifts in migration policies – especially in the United States of America – are also reshaping regional movement patterns. Changes in border management 3 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs ( UN DESA), International Migrant Stock 2024, data set (accessed December 2025). 4 Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), Global Report on Internal Displacement 2025 (Geneva, IDMC, 2025). 5 Between 2014 and 2023, the IOM Missing Migrants Project recorded 8,984 deaths and disappearances of migrants in the region. 6 Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Claves de la CEPAL para el desarrollo N°17: Panorama Social de América Latina y el Caribe 2023 [ECLAC Keys for Development No. 17: Social Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean 2023], in Spanish (Santiago, ECLAC, 2024); ECLAC, Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean 2023 (Santiago, ECLAC, 2024). 7 Diego Chaves-González and Natalia Delgado, A Winding Path to Integration: Venezuelan Migrants’ Regularization and Labor Market Prospects (Washington, D.C., Migration Policy Institute, 2023). 8 IOM, Migration Trends in the Americas. Quarterly report. April–June 2024 (Panama City, IOM, 2024). practices, rising numbers of forced returns and diminishing opportunities for regular migration are influencing migration routes. These shifts can lead to higher irregular migration and greater reliance on dangerous routes, further jeopardizing the lives and safety of migrants. 5 Reverse migration and growing return flows are also placing significant strains on communities and governments across the region as they work to reintegrate returnees with diverse profiles and needs. Simultaneously, Latin America’s economic landscape

dangerous routes, further jeopardizing the lives and safety of migrants. 5 Reverse migration and growing return flows are also placing significant strains on communities and governments across the region as they work to reintegrate returnees with diverse profiles and needs. Simultaneously, Latin America’s economic landscape is being reshaped by global and regional forces, bringing new opportunities but also significant emerging risks. According to the latest projections, economic growth is expected to stagnate and job creation rates are likely to remain low. 6 Limited job opportunities and growing disparities can exacerbate economic vulnerability, which may result in higher emigration and irregular migration rates. When combined with the high prevalence of informal labour and migrants’ greater participation in informal employment compared with native populations in the region, 7 it becomes evident that economic factors are likely to remain a key influence on migration patterns within Latin America and the Caribbean. Fiscal pressures, including tightening national budgets and shifts in international assistance, will also significantly affect the ability of government and humanitarian agencies to meet growing needs. Despite these challenges, migration in the region presents significant opportunities. In 2024, countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are estimated to have received nearly USD 136 billion in remittances – an amount that has doubled since 20178 – highlighting the substantial contributions made by migrants and diasporas. In numerous instances, remittance inflows 12 IOM STRATEGY FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 2025–2029surpass both foreign direct investment and official development assistance. 9 Ensuring decent work for everyone, migrants included, is a cornerstone of sustainable growth. Existing regional initiatives, such as the Residency Agreement of the South American Common Market (MERCOSUR) 10 and various bilateral measures, provide good opportunities but frequently fall short when it comes to matching needs with demand. Labour shortages in sectors that rely heavily on migrants are among the most pronounced worldwide. 11 Those gaps underscore the need for enhanced government collaboration

Common Market (MERCOSUR) 10 and various bilateral measures, provide good opportunities but frequently fall short when it comes to matching needs with demand. Labour shortages in sectors that rely heavily on migrants are among the most pronounced worldwide. 11 Those gaps underscore the need for enhanced government collaboration to connect people with opportunities and develop regular pathways. Communities in Latin America and the Caribbean are also exposed to a wide range of environmental and climate hazards. Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and scale of floods, droughts, megafires, landslides, hurricanes and sea-level rise, which are destroying livelihoods, damaging infrastructure and influencing how communities – particularly Indigenous, coastal and rural populations – move. In the region, 80 per cent of disaster -related internal displacement results from hurricanes and tropical storms. The region also records the world’s largest annual displacement of populations due to wildfires 12 and 9 Ibid. 10 IOM and Specialized Forum on Migration of MERCOSUR and Associated States (FEM), Movimientos migratorios recientes en América del Sur – Informe Anual 2023 [Recent Migratory Movements in South America. Annual report 2023], in Spanish (Buenos Aires, IOM, 2024). 11 IOM and Boston Consulting Group, Migration Matters: A Human Cause with a $20 Trillion Business Case (Geneva and Boston, IOM and BCG, 2022). 12 IDMC, 2025, note 6. 13 Ibid. 14 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Sixth Assessment Report (Geneva, IPCC, 2023). 15 Ana Ruiz Nieves, Anacláudia Rossbach, Alfred Woeger and David Khoudour, “ Migration and Cities in the LAC region ”, blog post. Cities Alliance (19 June 2020). 16 United Nations, Economic and Social Council, Sustainable cities, human mobility and international migration – Report of the Secretary-General (E/CN.9/2018/2 of 26 January 2018).

(19 June 2020). 16 United Nations, Economic and Social Council, Sustainable cities, human mobility and international migration – Report of the Secretary-General (E/CN.9/2018/2 of 26 January 2018). is vulnerable to high -intensity earthquakes, as it sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire. Increased exposure to extreme weather and climate-related hazards is becoming a significant driver of human mobility in the region. Weather-related and geophysical disasters have made displacement more common, with the region registering more than 2 million new internal displacements due to disasters in 2024. 13 Additionally, urban areas are adversely impacted by the effects of climate change, disasters and environmental degradation on health, well-being, infrastructure and livelihoods, with low-income and vulnerable populations, 14 including migrants, who often live in informal settlements, being particularly affected.15 This is even more relevant for the region, which has the highest rate of urbanization in the world, exceeding 80 per cent. 16 In view of these factors, mobility in the region will likely be increasingly multidirectional and more volatile over the coming years, deepening needs across the region. To address this challenge, IOM will leverage its expertise, strategic partnerships and established regional presence to deliver comprehensive and innovative approaches that save lives, promote durable solutions to displacement and facilitate regular migration pathways. 13 IOM STRATEGY FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 2025–2029STRATEGIC PRIORITIES In response to ongoing and emerging challenges in the region, IOM will, for the 2025–2029 period, continue to operate across the humanitarian, development and peace nexus to maximize effectiveness, promote synergies and ensure sustainable solutions for migrants and countries of origin, transit, destination and return. These efforts reflect IOM’s commitment to safe, orderly and regular migration while protecting the most vulnerable and advancing the IOM Strategic Plan 2024–2028 in Latin America and the Caribbean. Amid an increasingly complex regional migration context and despite ongoing funding constraints,

efforts reflect IOM’s commitment to safe, orderly and regular migration while protecting the most vulnerable and advancing the IOM Strategic Plan 2024–2028 in Latin America and the Caribbean. Amid an increasingly complex regional migration context and despite ongoing funding constraints, IOM remains firmly committed to putting the safety, dignity and protection of people first. As needs rise and protection risks intensify, IOM will scale up efforts to ensure emergency preparedness and lifesaving, protection-centred assistance for the most vulnerable populations. It will enhance humanitarian coordination to deliver more effective, evidencebased, coherent and timely responses throughout the region. Consistent with its rights-based and do-no-harm approach, IOM will continue to provide life-saving and protection-centred humanitarian assistance to migrants in crisis and to those experiencing heightened vulnerability due to shocks, insecurity, dangerous migration journeys or forced returns. It thus aims to address urgent needs by delivering shelter, food, cash assistance, clean water, sanitation and hygiene services, and basic health care. In line with its protection-centred approach, IOM will also ensure that the most vulnerable people receive specialized protection services suited to their specific needs. This includes child protection measures, responses to violence against women and girls, and support for victims of trafficking and migrants at risk of abuse and exploitation. In addition, IOM will support the provision of mental health and psychosocial services, to help individuals and communities recover from the psychological impacts of shocks and violence. Across all life-saving and protection interventions, IOM will systematically integrate the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PSEAH) through risk-informed programming, strengthened safeguarding systems, and accessible, confidential reporting mechanisms. It will prioritize community-based prevention, accountability and partner capacity-building to proactively identify and mitigate PSEAH risks. Survivor-centred, rightsbased and confidential response mechanisms will remain central to ensure safe referrals, timely assistance and access to specialized protection and psychosocial support.

confidential reporting mechanisms. It will prioritize community-based prevention, accountability and partner capacity-building to proactively identify and mitigate PSEAH risks. Survivor-centred, rightsbased and confidential response mechanisms will remain central to ensure safe referrals, timely assistance and access to specialized protection and psychosocial support. IOM will draw on its experience supporting people on the move in the region to develop practical, scalable solutions that enhance the quality and efficiency of humanitarian responses. It will leverage its expertise to help governments and communities prepare, plan and implement effective emergency responses that save lives and foster recovery. To enhance emergency preparedness in the region, IOM will support the development of stronger systems capable of delivering timely and more effective humanitarian assistance, for example by leveraging diaspora support through its Framework for Diaspora Engagement in Humanitarian Assistance. This will include building the capacities of regional, national and local authorities to prepare for and respond to emergencies related to migration flows, internal displacement or cross-border movements, while simultaneously strengthening IOM’s own internal preparedness Priority 1: Saving lives and protecting people on the move 14 IOM STRATEGY FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN 2025–2029systems to ensure high -quality, timely and rapid assistance when sudden -onset crises arise, including those triggered by natural hazards, violence or conflict. In addition, IOM will continue to sustain and expand the pre -positioning of emergency supplies at strategic locations in the region. Building on recently established long -term agreements for non-food items, it will further strengthen logistics capacity and ensure timely delivery, contributing to a resilient and well -organized system capable of effectively addressing the needs of crisis-affected migrants and communities. These efforts will reinforce both immediate relief operations and the longer-term needs of the people concerned. As the number of crisis-affected people continues to rise in the region, collaboration among humanitarian stakeholders to optimize and streamline relief efforts is becoming increasingly

migrants and communities. These efforts will reinforce both immediate relief operations and the longer-term needs of the people concerned. As the number of crisis-affected people continues to rise in the region, collaboration among humanitarian stakeholders to optimize and streamline relief efforts is becoming increasingly essential. IOM is committed to working closely with partners and humanitarian agencies to strengthen the planning and coordination of such efforts. Through established coordination mechanisms and joint initiatives, IOM strives to ensure that the needs of migrants affected by crises are addressed effectively. It seeks to support adaptive/reactive social protection systems that are designed to rapidly scale up or adjust benefits, coverage and delivery mechanisms in response to shocks, in order to protect vulnerable populations before impacts become humanitarian emergencies. In crisis areas, IOM will co-lead the new Global Shelter, Land and Site Coordination Cluster 17 with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and play a central role in humanitarian coordination, serving as key convener on humanitarian data to support more effective and coherent responses across the region. 17 Integrating the functions of shelter, camp coordination and camp management, and housing, land and property in a single global coordination platform. IOM aims to use the Displacement Tracking Matrix to strengthen its response and provide partners with the timely data on population presence, movements and needs underpinning effective and context-relevant responses. This evidence-based approach supports targeted life-saving shelter, displacement management, and water, sanitation and hygiene activities, prioritizing people with the greatest needs and ensuring optimal utilization of available resources. IOM will also focus on strengthening institution