Supporting the strengthening of Government institutions and civil society capacities to improve the protection of vulnerable migrants in transit

Over the past 15 years, states in the southern border region of Mexico have become important transit areas for hundreds of thousands of migrants.  These on-the-move populations face extreme hardship and physical insecurity as they travel under inhumane and unsafe conditions, with limited access to basic shelter and essential social services. Moreover, on their journey northwards many of these migrants fall victim to organized criminal groups that prey on their vulnerable situation. They suffer violence and sexual abuse and are increasingly victims of kidnapping, human trafficking, extortion and even murder. At the same time, their security is further compromised due to the tense relationship between receiving communities and transit migrants. Accordingly, the human security of vulnerable migrants in transit through Mexico can only be enhanced through partnerships between diverse stakeholders at the local, national and international levels that incorporate the full range of development, human rights and security perspectives.                                                                                                                                                                            

The primary goal of the project is to improve the human security of migrants in transit through southern Mexico. This is to be achieved by building the capacity of government institutions and civil society organizations to provide essential services, while promoting peaceful coexistence between migrants and the local communities. To this end, the project is centered around three objectives: (i) strengthening the capacities of federal and state government institutions to enhance the effectiveness of their assistance to migrants in transit; (ii) improving the capacities of civil society organizations, specifically shelters, to provide improved assistance to migrants in transit, especially vulnerable migrants and potential refugees; and (iii) promoting and strengthening protection networks for migrants in host communities. The project targets approximately 300,000 vulnerable migrants in the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Tabasco. At the same time, close to 800 federal and state government officials and 14 migrant shelters and civil society organizations will be directly engaged through capacity building activities.

For more information:

• https://www.un.org/humansecurity/hsprogramme/supporting-the-strengtheni…

GFMD 2014-2015 Roundtable 3.1 "International cooperation and responsibility sharing to enhance human development and human security for people forcibly displaced across international borders"

UN Trust Fund for Human Security, IOM, UNDP, UNHCR, UNFPA, UNODC