MPI & Center for Global Development (CGD) Online
Labor Migration and Development in Central America
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Virginia Negro, Project Officer, Capacity Development for Migration Management (CD4MM), International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Ana Paola P. Lobos, Public Policy Coordinator, Proyecto Creando Oportunidades Económicas, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Guatemala
Margarita Beneke de Sanfeliú, Director, Center for Research and Statistics, FUSADES-El Salvador (Fundación Salvadoreña para el Desarrollo Económico y Social - Salvadoran Foundation for Economic and Social Development)
Michael Clemens, Director and Senior Fellow, Migration, Displacement, and Humanitarian Policy Program, Center for Global Development (CGD)
Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute
Most migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border have no accessible, lawful option to migrate. Some are fleeing danger, some are seeking economic opportunity, and for many, the two are inextricably linked. Labor migration offers a legal alternative, with potential to benefit not just destination countries, but the sending countries, as well.
Migration can bring increased remittances and skills transfers, improve institutional coordination, provide opportunities for foreign investment, provide multilateral support for education and training infrastructure, and build capacity.
This event, hosted by the Center for Global Development (CGD) and the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) focuses on the main challenges faced by countries of origin and destination in ensuring mutual benefits through labor migration and strategies moving forward. It addresses how to promote legal labor migration from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras for mutual benefit, regional efforts for improved cooperation, and addressing inequities in the current recruitment system. The panelists discussed the current situation of labor migration programs in the three countries, and what the future of the programs may look like to ensure returns to development.
This event was also broadcast in Spanish.
