Tuesday 9 September 2003

Press Briefing Notes
Tuesday 9 September 2003
Spokesperson: Jean Philippe Chauzy

GUATEMALA - National Survey on Remittances - 2003
COLOMBIA - Assistance for Internally Displaced Children
ITALY - MIGRA News is On-Line


GUATEMALA - National Survey on Remittances - 2003 - A recent IOM survey on remittances arriving in Guatemala focused on the
frequency of the remittances, the means of reception (whether a bank or other institution is involved), and the origin of the remittances.

The IOM survey revealed that 722,469 homes (some 30% of the population) survive thanks to remittances sent by relatives living abroad.

The nation-wide survey confirmed that the volume of remittances for 2002 reached US$1.2 billion. IOM estimates that in 2003 the amount could reach US$2 billion.

Of the 1.260 million Guatemalans living abroad in 2003, almost 95% are in the United States, 2.1% are living in Mexico, 1.2% in Canada and the rest in other countries. Of this total, almost 80% send remittances to their families in Guatemala; 54.4% do so using money orders and 38.3% by electronic bank transfer. Only 6.1% send their money back home with a relative of someone travelling to Guatemala.

The main cause of migration (67%) was cited as lack of employment opportunities. But the survey confirmed that it is not the poorest of the poor who migrate; nearly 42% of Guatemalan migrants claim to have a secondary education or higher.

Almost 42.5% of the households surveyed receive remittances on a monthly basis; 16.9% told IOM they receive money every two months, 14.9% every six months and 8% annually.

The annual volume estimated for 2003 of remittances now accounts for 8% of the Gross National Product (GNP) for 2002, also the equivalent of 86% of the income of foreign currency for all exports of the country for the same year.

Some 25% of the remittances are devoted to investments and savings. These results confirm the great impact of remittances in the communities of origin of the migrants; if the government spending on health and education is added, this percentage increases to 35%. These levels of investment, funded with the remittances surpass public investment for 2002 by nearly 16%.

The results of the survey indicate that near 12% of remittances are destined to intermediate consumption, that is an important part of the remittances is directly contributing to generate the gross value of national production.

With the official delivery of the data related to the diversity of remittances, the issuing channels and the utilization of the remittances, Guatemala now has the necessary elements to evaluate their actual and potential impact on the development of the recipient communities and thus establish the foundations for the design and execution of public policies.

IOM developed the concept of Community Funds, which would link migrants with their places of origin. To this end, IOM is working with banks in Guatemala and in the United States in order to create the financial platform required to implement projects based on the economic platform which are an integral part of the Community Funds. This economic platform contains all types of productive projects, mechanisms of marketing, social investments, personal loan mechanisms and development of projects.

For more information contact IOM Guatemala, Gunther Mussig Tel: 502.362.8367 oim@oim.org.gt

COLOMBIA - Assistance for Internally Displaced Children - IOM is working with the Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF by it's Spanish acronym) to improve the Santa Ana Children's Home in the city of Quibdó, in Chocó province.

Today, the 104 new places for internally displaced children will be inaugurated.

The home, founded 25 years ago, currently hosts 85 students in precarious conditions. The improvements will mean that almost 200 children will be benefit from education, culture, and recreation.

In the past three years the region has been coping with massive internal displacement. According to the Colombian Solidarity Network, some 40,000 persons have sought refuge from the fighting in this region.

The home now has an auditorium, a multi-purpose hall, and a space where youngsters can practice sports and cultural activities. A special class will be set up for children with hearing and language problems which will be taught by a specialist of the Institute for the Deaf of Quibdó.

The improvements also include a kitchen and dining area. A space for pregnant and/or lactating mothers living in the area. The participating mothers will benefit from pre natal care and advise on infant care.

This project is supported by the IOM Programme for Post-Emergency Attention to the Displaced
Population and Receiving Communities, financed by USAID.

For more information contact, Liliana Arias, IOM Bogotá, Tel: 57.1.622.7774 larias@oim.org.co

ITALY - MIGRA News is On-Line - MIGRA, the Italian Information Agency for Immigrants Website is now fully operational and online at www.migranews.net.

The agency, which covers news and features relating to the integration of migrants into Italian society, comprises an editorial committee, a central editorial office based in Rome, two local editorial offices in Turin and Bari, and a network of 60 immigrants who work as stringers throughout the country.

MIGRA was set up as part of the EU Equal project "The Image of Migrants through the Media, Civil Society and the Labour Market", which is promoted by IOM, the Archivio dell'Immigrazione and Caritas Rome/Statistical Dossier, and supported by 19 other partners.

The project aims at preventing and combating migrant discrimination, exclusion and inequality in the labor market and civil society. The project also provides training courses for immigrant journalists in Italian mass media and workshops for Italian journalists.

MIGRA also acts as media resource, providing consultancy expertise, setting up interviews with experts, developing fact sheets and organizing roundtables.

The agency tries to combat superficial and sensational reporting of migrant news, which is often prejudiced, portraying immigrants as different and in some way criminal, thus actually contributing to their social exclusion.