With the aim of training and updating the concepts of protection from a human rights perspective,  the International Organization for Migration (IOM) held the closing ceremony of the online training course "Protection of migrants in vulnerable conditions in Panama". This course, aimed at key actors who provide guidance, assistance and / or services to migrants in a vulnerable condition in Panama, was held from July 26 to August 25, 2021.  

The sessions were held through E-Campus, a free and virtual learning platform developed by IOM with online courses and training materials on migration. The course was divided into four sessions: protection and guarantee of the rights of migrants in situations of vulnerability, protection in emergencies and humanitarian action, labour migration, protection and rights of migrant workers, and actors and services in the field of migration regularization and job guidance. In this last session also took place to presentation of the proposal of a general guideline of rights and protection services destined to migrants in Panama. 

Also, during the event, a discussion was held on the "Challenges and advances in the guarantee of rights and socio-economic integration of migrants in Panama", where representatives of government institutions presented, from their respective approaches, challenges, actions and advances in the matter.  

The attendees had the opportunity to exchange experiences and generate contacts through networking. Once the dynamic was completed, the graduation ceremony of the 30 participants was held. Among the participating entities are the National Migration Service, the Ministry of Labour and Professional Development, the National Institute for Women, the Office of the Ombudsman, the National Secretariat for Disability, the National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents and Family, the National Office for the Care of Refugees, among others. Civil society organizations participated actively: Fundación Casa Latinoamericana, Organización Sin Fronteras, Asociación Martiana de Cubanos Residentes en Panamá, Centro de Asistencia Legal Popular,  Asociación Nuevos Horizontes,  Fundación de Asistencia a Migrantes, among others. 

These activities are implemented within the framework of IOM’s Protection Strategy in Panama, which involves objectives of the "Western Hemisphere Program" and the "Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela Response Plan", both funded by the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) of the U.S. Department of State. 

For more information contact Mayteé Zachrisson, IOM Communications and Media Assistant in Panama, at mzachrisson@iom.int.