Durrant Pate/Contributor

Amid contentions relating to the Third Country National (TCN) deal between the United States and a number of CARICOM States including Jamaica, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is forging cooperation with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

 The IOM, which is a related organisation of the United Nations focusing on humane and orderly migration, will play a critical role in these TCN deals with America, where non-local individuals processed or transferred out of the country can temporarily transit through regional territories en route to their home countries.

 As CARICOM and the IOM force greater collaboration on migration issues, CARICOM Secretary-General, Dr Carla Barnett, recently welcomed the IOM Director General of the International Organisation for Migration, Amy Pope, for a courtesy meeting on cooperation on regional migration.

The discussions included ongoing collaboration on the draft CARICOM Migration Governance Framework (CMGF), as well as issues related to the movement of persons within the Caribbean. Perspectives were shared on the historical nature of migration in the Region and on labour movement under the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). 

The meeting also noted that ageing populations and outward migration continue to contribute to labour force gaps across the Community. The IOM indicated its continued commitment to working with CARICOM, including through its network of partners, to support regional priorities on migration.

Dr Barnett was accompanied by Assistant Secretary-General, Human and Social Development, Alison Drayton; Assistant Secretary-General, Foreign and Community Relations, Elizabeth Solomon; Chef de Cabinet, Office of the Secretary-General, Ambassador Janice Miller.

Pope was accompanied by IOM Regional Director Diego Beltrand; IOM Caribbean Chief of Mission Patrice Quesada; and Gary Karr of the Department of Media and Communications, IOM.