- The International Organization for Migration (IOM), with the support of the Government of Japan, has completed a project that will improve the water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure of shelters and other public facilities serving people on the move in southern Mexico.
"The project has focused on improving the quality of services provided to thousands of people each year," said Jeremy Mac Gillivray, Deputy Chief of Mission of IOM Mexico at Tapachula, Chiapas. "These are essential for the survival and dignity of people, regardless of their migratory status," he added.
On Sunday (27 November) he visited the refurbished shelters with Noriteru Fukushima, the Japanese Ambassador to Mexico.
Launched in February 2020, the project to conduct these improvements earmarked USD 1.9 million, donated by the Government of Japan, for interventions in six shelters managed by civil society organizations and five centers of Mexico's National System for Integral Family Development (DIF) located in the states of Chiapas, Tabasco, and Veracruz.
Beyond improving the water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure, the project also provided training through workshops on protection, hygiene promotion, and disaster management to the staff of the shelters.
The project culminated with the visit by Japanese Ambassador, Noriteru Fukushima, to one of the improved shelters in Tapachula, and the unveiling of a memorial plaque.
The diplomat's visit was part of the 125th anniversary of the first Japanese migration to Mexico.
IOM, the United Nations Migration Agency, has had a constant presence on Mexico's southern border for nearly 20 years and works closely with partners and counterparts from the Mexican government, civil society, and the United Nations system to provide humanitarian assistance to people on the move.
