Buenos Aires – IOM Director General António Vitorino participated in the Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation (BAPA+40), held 40 years after the adoption of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (BAPA). 

The conference, which took place last week (20-22/03) was framed in an international context determined by the agreements embodied in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes migration as an integral part of actions to reduce inequalities and eradicate poverty. It also aimed to examine trends in multilateral cooperation, with a view to promoting these modalities and identifying new opportunities, based on the exchange of experiences and knowledge of South-South cooperation mechanisms. 

During the conference – attended by more than 1,500 participants – 193 United Nations Member States and international organizations were present, among them the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, who emphasized that “the BAPA transformed the dynamics of international cooperation and highlighted the value of a different form of cooperation, based on the exchange of knowledge and appropriate technologies among nations that face similar development challenges.” Moreover, he added that this cooperation can allow developing countries to “learn from each other and grow rapidly.” 

IOM participated in two parallel events and the main plenary of the conference, during which Director General Vitorino mentioned the importance of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration, which recognizes that it is fundamental to intensify regional cooperation as proposed at the BAPA+40 Conference. 

DG Vitorino opened the side event South-South cooperation as a tool for migration governance in Latin America and the Caribbean, during which cooperation on migration in regional consultation and integration processes was discussed. Emphasis was placed on how existing mechanisms facilitate cooperation at the regional level in relation to a wide range of migration topics, such as regulatory harmonization, institutional modernization and the implementation of measures and programs aimed at diverse groups of migrant population. 

DG Vitorino also used his platform to mention that “international migration represents a phenomenon with significant implications for all countries, given its relevance in many areas of public policy, which is why governments must cooperate in a significant way on different aspects of migration, both bilaterally and at the regional level, and this should be expanded in the context of South-South Cooperation.” 

On Thursday (21/03) DG Vitorino attended discussions at a BAPA+40 side event, hosted by the Government of Ecuador and supported by both IOM and UNCHR, on South-South Cooperation in Response to the Human Mobility of Venezuelan citizens in the South American region. The side event focused on priorities established by governments in building a regional response to address the needs of Venezuelan refugees and migrants while highlighting the importance of South-South cooperation, considering most Venezuelan migrants who leave the country are hosted elsewhere in the region. The Quito Process and the operationalization of the Quito Plan of Action are considered good examples for articulating effective coordination and action at the regional level. 

During the side events in which IOM participated, other panellists included Santiago Chávez Pareja, Vice-Minister of Human Mobility of the Government of Ecuador; Luis María Sobrón, Director General of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship, Government of Argentina; Eduardo Stein, UNHCR and IOM Joint Special Representative for Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in the Region; Juan Carlos Murillo, UNHCR Regional Representative for the South of Latin America; and Lelio Mármora, Director of the Institute of Migration and Asylum Policies, University of Tres de Febrero. 

DG Vitorino commended the countries for their response and reiterated IOM’s commitment to continue supporting their efforts. He also noted the importance of receiving financial assistance from the international community, especially from the donor community, through the Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RRMRP), whose objective is to address the protection, assistance and integration needs of Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the affected states of Latin America and the Caribbean, by complementing and strengthening national and regional responses from governments, in accordance with the principles described in the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants. 

For several decades, the Argentine Republic has upheld a strong South-South Cooperation policy through the Argentine Fund for South-South and Triangular Cooperation (FO.AR). There are numerous actions that the Government of Argentina has carried out in this regard, with a special emphasis on areas such as human rights and justice, agro-industry, and health. Within this framework, IOM has supported the transportation of Argentine experts to Latin American, Caribbean, European, Asian and African countries; the reception of foreign professionals in Argentina; and the assistance for the organization of international seminars. 

BAPA+40 concluded with the adoption of a formal declaration by the member states, reaffirming their commitment to better and more solid South-South Cooperation. 

The latest figures on the situation in Venezuela can be found here. 

Visit the Official website of the Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation:  https://www.unsouthsouth.org/bapa40/ 

For more information, please contact IOM Argentina: 

Carolina Celi, Email: cceli@iom.int, Tel: +54 11 15 3232 1384 

Débora Taicz, Email: dtaicz@iom.int, Tel: + 54 11 4815 1035