1. Meeting of the Regional Consultation Group on Migration, Regional Conference on Migration Recent Developments on the International Protection of Refugees in Member Countries of the RCM

2. Meeting of the Regional Consultation Group on Migration, Regional Conference on Migration Regional Trends Refugee population in the Americas 803,500 (8 per cent of global refugee population) Main countries of asylumUS and Canada Main country of originColombia (374.000) Main countries of asylum for Colombian Refugees Ecuador and Venezuela, as well as Costa Rica and Panama Number of asylum-seekers (all nationalities) 109,300 Number of resettled refugees (all nationalities) 71,100 Figures as of December, 2008

3. Meeting of the Regional Consultation Group on Migration, Regional Conference on Migration Regional Trends (continued) ● Mixed migration movements in the Americas are becoming more complex: Extra-regional migrants and asylum-seekers ● Internally Displaced Persons Colombia has one of the largest IDP populations in the world: 3,000,000

4. Meeting of the Regional Consultation Group on Migration, Regional Conference on Migration Regional Trends (continued) ● United States of America and Canada: In addition to being important asylum and resettlement countries, they continue to be major donors to UNHCR´s programs worldwide and key political supporters on issues of relevance to the Office´s mandate

5. Meeting of the Regional Consultation Group on Migration, Regional Conference on Migration Strengthening of Legal Frameworks ● Mexico and Chile: Each country is currently in the process of discussion and adoption of a bill concerning the protection of refugees

6. Meeting of the Regional Consultation Group on Migration, Regional Conference on Migration Capacity building and International Cooperation ● Belize: Efforts to revitalize national mechanism fo refugee status determination ● Canada: Cooperation with Costa Rica to strengthen refugee capacity of the latter. Cooperation initiative with Argentina in the fields of refugee status determination and resettlement

7. Meeting of the Regional Consultation Group on Migration, Regional Conference on Migration Refugee Protection-Trafficking Nexus ● Guatemala: Law against Trafficking in Persons contains important safeguards on the right to asylum ● Costa Rica: Recently-established Immediate Response Team foresees participation of international organizations in advisory capacity

8. Meeting of the Regional Consultation Group on Migration, Regional Conference on Migration Refugee Protection-Trafficking Nexus (continued) ● Mexico: INM Directive provides for the need to consider whether unaccompanied children, including possible victims of trafficking, are in need of international protection as refugees ● OAS: Resolution on refugees adopted in 39th General Assembly contains references to asylum- trafficking nexus and UNHCR participated in Second Meeting of National Authorities on Human Trafficking in Argentina

9. Meeting of the Regional Consultation Group on Migration, Regional Conference on Migration Dissemination of and Training on Refugee Law ● OAS: First Course on Refugee Law for staff of Permanent Missions and General Secretariat personnel (Washington D.C., February, 2009) ● UNHCR Program for the teaching of Refugee Law at the university level

10. Meeting of the Regional Consultation Group on Migration, Regional Conference on Migration Dissemination of and Training on Refugee Law ● 7th UNHCR Regional Course on Refugee Status Determination (24-28 August, 2009): Support of Governments of Canada and Brazil ● New UNHCR guidelines and handbooks concerning various aspects of the international protection of refugees

11. Meeting of the Regional Consultation Group on Migration, Regional Conference on Migration Developments Beyond the RCM Region ● Ecuador: New national policy on refugee protection and “Enhanced Registration” initiative in the Northern Border ● MERCOSUR: Issue of regional policies for the protection of refugees was reinstated as an agenda item of the Specialized Forum on Migration