Heads of government of Latin America and the Caribbean, meeting in Quito, Ecuador, on the occasion of the Fourth Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), January 27, 2016
Highlighting Latin American and Caribbean countries’ recognition of the important contribution made by migrants to the development of their nations and families, and governance of international migration, with a focus on human rights and reaffirming the Special Declarations regarding the issue as approved by CELAC;
Recognizing the historical importance of international migration to the development of nations from an economic, political, social and cultural point of view, and the need to strengthen the synergy between international migration and global, regional and national development;
Emphasizing the need to ensure regular, safe and orderly migration from and within the region, in order to safeguard all human rights and the dignity of migrants and their families;
Stressing the vital need for Latin American and Caribbean countries to join forces to combat actions by groups which, exploiting vulnerable migrants, above all traveling in an irregular, unsafe and disorderly manner, engage in the illegal trafficking of migrants and people, threatening the lives, integrity and human rights of migrants, especially women, children, adolescents and workers;
Expressing concern over the selective migratory policies of countries outside of the region which benefit migrants of a certain origin, encourage disorderly migration and create serious difficulties for transit countries in the region;
1. CELAC member countries pledge to assess and adopt measures to strengthen efforts to combat migrant traffickers which exploit irregular, unsafe and disorderly movement of migrants, threatening their lives, physical integrity and dignity; and to jointly combat this scourge, acting in accordance with the legal system of each individual country and international law;
2. Urge those countries which apply selective migratory policies, such as the so-called “wet-foot-dry-foot” policy, to put an end to these measures given the difficulties they generate for countries in the region;
3. Have also decided that debates during the Fifth CELAC Meeting on Migration, will focus on the search for comprehensive and viable solutions, within a framework of cooperation and shared responsibility, which aim to protect migrants;
4. Call on the international community to guarantee the human rights of migrants, in compliance with that which is established in the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, as well as international human rights and migration law;
5. Likewise urge the international community to undertake efforts to ensure that migrants are made aware of all processes in which they will be involved while in transit, and in destination countries, including measures which protect their human rights;
6. Emphasize the importance of providing training to educate and sensitize public officials in countries of origin, transit and destination, on the issue of international migration and the region’s vision regarding its commitment to guaranteeing migrants’ human rights.
Quito, January 27, 2016.
