11 December 2018: Young people under the age of 24 from rural areas make up the majority of emigration from northern Central America, according to a report released by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO).The ‘Atlas of Migration in Northern Central America,’ was launched on 11 December 2018 in Marrakech, Morocco, on the sidelines of the Intergovernmental Conference on the Global Compact for Migration, which convened from 10-11 December. The Atlas aims to contribute to the design of public policies, programmes and efforts to achieve “safe, orderly and regular migration” in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and provides a detailed perspective on the structural causes of migration in northern Central America.

During the launch, ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena said the number of migrants from northern Central America increased by 59% between 2000 and 2012. She cited drivers of migration in the subregion, including poverty, unemployment, familial factors, rights’ violations, violence and crime, and vulnerability to climate change. She added that, inter alia, the number of unaccompanied girls increased by 72% in 2017 compared to 2016.

Bárcena highlighted the Comprehensive Development Plan that El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico are promoting, under the auspices of ECLAC, which seeks to promote development and opportunities to help prevent migration while addressing its structural causes. [ECLAC Press Release] [Atlas Landing Page] [Atlas of Migration in Northern Central America]