Throughout the 11 years of accompaniment to the Government of Panama through the Western Hemisphere Program, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reaffirmed that migration management is a central element of the strategy for economic reactivation and that the answer to have increasingly effective and inclusive results lies in the comprehensive approach to it.   

That is why, within the framework of this Program, the first High-Level Preparatory Forum called Panama and the new international context: towards a knowledge economy was held on September 16 and 17 of this year. 

Among the people who participated in the event, authorities such as Dr. Ivette Berrio, Deputy Minister of Health; Roger Tejada Bryden, Deputy Minister of Labour and Professional Development; Ivor Pittí, Deputy Minister of Public Security; Jonathan Riggs, Secretary General of the Ministry of Public Security; Samira Gozaine, Director General of the National Migration Service; Giancarlo Soler, Deputy Director of the Office of International Organizations and Conferences of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Walker Sizemore, representative of the National Council of Private Enterprise. 

This preparatory forum constituted  an ideal space to promote dialogue between various actors from the public and private sectors, civil society and international cooperation around priority actions for the development of the country in the new international context, experiences and good practices, human mobility and globalization through several diverse thematic sessions. 

"Migration is not a new phenomenon, it has always been a fundamentally positive part of the human experience, which has managed to stimulate innovation, expand individual opportunities and social horizons of a globalized world, constituting a key factor in sustainable development, increasing common understanding beyond borders. It is increasingly important, especially as our world becomes more interconnected and interdependent," said Santiago Paz, Head of the Panama Global Administrative Centre and IOM's Chief of Mission in Panama. 

To this panorama is added the new international migratory dynamics.  When well managed, migration can be a driver of development for migrants themselves and countries of origin, transit and destination. Migration management is a central element of the strategy for economic reactivation, so that the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic and the need to achieve sustainable and equitable development through innovation  and  job  creation can be addressed with impacts in the short term,  medium and long term, as established in the Strategic Government Plan 2020–2024. 

IOM's Western Hemisphere Program is implemented with funding from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM).  

For more information, contact IOM Panama's communications team at iompanama@iom.int.