STRENGTHENING CONSULAR AND IMMIGRATION ATTENTION OF THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF GUATEMALA: IMPROVING THE ATTENTION AND PROTECTION OF GUATEMALAN MIGRANTS"

The migration issue is a priority in the work agenda of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MINEX. The creation of the Vice Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2005) to care for its population abroad, denotes the relevance for the State of Guatemala in the attention of migrant populations, especially the most vulnerable, through its consular network.
This vice ministry provides services to immigrant and transmigrant communities through the Directorate of Consular and Migratory Affairs. The main strategic lines of migration are the care and protection of its population abroad, always maintaining a line of constant information that encourages regular migration. It should be noted that with the recent approval of the new Migration Code, it will be a priority for consulates to reinforce their daily tasks.
However, despite the commitment assumed by MINEX and its vice-ministry, it must be recognized that they have limited conditions for the implementation of effective actions and mechanisms for identifying vulnerabilities and attention that protect the human rights of Guatemalan migrants abroad and in his return That is why the objective of this project is to contribute to strengthening the capacities of the Government of Guatemala for the identification, attention and protection of migrants in transit and destination, as well as returnees, with special emphasis on cases of special vulnerability.
Specifically, the IOM Mission in Guatemala will implement this initiative in coordination with the national counterparts involved through three key components: (1) Strengthening of the facilities for the monitoring, analysis and attention of Guatemalan migratory flows; (2) Strengthening of technical and knowledge capacities of consular network officials; (3) Improve communication lines with the Guatemalan diaspora for the benefit of the migrant population.
With the collection of reference information on the migrant population and the improvement of the technical capacity of the different government agencies involved, it is expected to improve the coverage of the identified urgent needs of Guatemalans through consular assistance and protection.