The Capacity-Building on Crisis Management and Assistance to Migrant Nationals (CMAN) Project of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) formally closed with the presentation of the Migration Crisis Operations Manual and Assessment Workbook and the CMAN E-learning Course on 8 September 2016 at the New World Manila Bay Hotel, Malate, Manila.

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Ambassador Cristobal lauded the IOM for spearheading the Capacity-Building on Crisis Management and Assistance to Migrant Nationals (CMAN) Project.

The event was attended by project stakeholders and key institutional partners of the IOM, officials of the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) led by the Director-General, Ambassador Claro S. Cristobal, Undersecretary Ciriaco A. Lagunzad lll of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), officials from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Mr.  Raul Dado, Special Assistant at the Office the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA) of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) as well as representatives from other government agencies, international organizations, civil society groups, and the private sector.

Undersecretary Lagunzad emphasized the importance of a systematic approach to Crisis Management in light of the wave of natural calamities and social and political upheavals that have taken a toll on migrant populations.  Ambassador Cristobal, in his message, expressed his gratitude to the IOM for its leadership in this pioneer undertaking as well as for its other remarkable efforts in assisting governments in ensuring the safety and protection of migrants. The event culminated in the symbolic turn-over of the Manual-Workbook and the E-Learning Course to the FSI as administering institution.

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Mr. Ricardo Casco, Chief Adviser and Project Lead, presents a copy of the Migration Crisis Operations Manual and Assessment Workbook to the FSI Director-General, Ambassador Claro S. Cristobal, and Undersecretary Ciriaco A. Lagunzad lll of the Department of Labor and Employment.

The CMAN Project aims to build and develop competencies and skills of Foreign Service officers and staff in handling emergency situations and present practical insights, essential frameworks, and learning experiences to Foreign Service personnel. As the training arm of the Philippine Foreign Service Corps, the FSI has committed to incorporate the CMAN E-learning Course in its roster of courses and oversee the distribution of the Manual-Workbook. The E-learning Course has recently been introduced to the participants of the Consular Assistants’ Course which opened on 19 September 2016.