Strengthening Guatemalan Consular Assistance Capacity

In October 2016, the Guatemalan Congress adopted the Migration Code which includes several components such as strengthening the capacity of consulates and providing government officials with training in order to reinforce the assistance and protection services offered to Guatemalans abroad.

However, in addition to the high number of Guatemalans abroad and their growing need for assistance, the resources of the consulate are still limited. In view of these challenges, the objective of this project is to strengthen the capacity of the consulates to enhance and improve the attention to Guatemalan migrants, with an emphasis on migrants in vulnerable situations.

In coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this project will strive to reach the above-mentioned objective by delivering three main outputs:

• The Directorate General of Consular Affairs is refurbished;
• Guatemalan consulates have increased knowledge and new tools are available to facilitate the registration of Guatemalans assisted; and
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has more information on migrant communities transiting and residing in the United States thanks to the development of communication and outreach activities.