UNHCR moves towards “solidarity” as a hemispheric approach to irregular migration in Central America

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reaffirms its commitment to containing the high migratory flow from Central America and does so by advocating solidarity as a regional approach to the phenomenon of displaced people.

A UNHCR mission concluded This week with a tour of several Central American countries and holding meetings with migrants from different origins, its assistant commissioner, Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, called for greater cooperation between the receiving countries. “Their difficult situation demonstrates the need for a hemispheric approach that involves all countries in the region.”

Menikdiwela, while acknowledging “the efforts” made to help migrants resettle, also said she was shocked by the testimonies heard.

The UN high representative visited Honduras, Guatemala, Panama and Mexico to exchange with providers of care for immigrants, such as the Mexican Commission for Aid to Refugees (COMAR) on Aztec soil and the National Office for Refugee Assistance (ONPAR). ) In Panama.

As of mid-2023, the region had provided shelter to 22 million “forcibly displaced and stateless” people, indicates a UNHCR report. And that same year at least 2023, some 520,085 people crossed the dangerous Darien Gap route seeking refuge in the north.

“But to find solutions for the unprecedented number of forcibly displaced people in the region, we need collaborative approaches involving States, UN agencies, civil society, development actors and international financial institutions to along the routes, both in the countries of origin, transit and destination,” said Menikdiwela.

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