NEW YORK – The international community today reaffirmed its solidarity with forcibly displaced people and their host communities in Central America and Mexico at a solidarity event held on the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly.

The event was co-sponsored by the governments of Canada and the United States, in collaboration with the government of Honduras. The seven countries that make up the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS), along with members of the MIRPS Support Platform, and representatives of other international financial agencies and institutions, the private sector and civil society participated in the event. .

In line with the commitments made in the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection, participants discussed ways to strengthen protection and promote durable and complementary solutions for people who are displaced and at risk of displacement.

Gabriela Pérez Guerra, a Nicaraguan refugee in Mexico, reminded participants through a video message of the importance of the support refugees receive for their successful integration into host communities. “Listening to the challenges of people in need of international protection made us realize that integration processes include […] the active and creative search for solutions,” he explained. Pérez Guerra now runs a program that promotes education as a tool to facilitate integration into Programa Casa Refugiados, a refugee-led organization in Mexico City.

Members of the MIRPS Support Platform – which helps mobilize resources for MIRPS member countries – have made new commitments to provide political, technical and financial support totaling more than $210 million (USD), in plus in-kind contributions, to continue strengthening the regional response and national action plans of countries in 2022 and 2023. In addition, the World Bank has announced its intention to become a member of the platform.

“As crises around the world grow ever worse, we cannot forget the more than one million forcibly displaced people in Central America and Mexico. As Canada’s term as Chair of the MIRPS Support Platform draws to a close, we will continue to advocate for the needs of refugees and forcibly displaced people in the region, committing to support countries and MIRPS host communities who offer their generous assistance,” said Harjit S. Sajjan, Canadian Minister for International Development.

The international solidarity event marks the end of Canada’s term as Chair of the MIRPS Support Platform and the transition to that of the United States, which it assumes as the new Chair.

Uzra Zeya, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Civil Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, said, “Collaboration is key to achieving our common goals, and forums like MIRPS and the today are essential because they give us the opportunity to concretely express our support and seek solutions together […]. Today, as a testament to the United States’ commitment to addressing forced displacement, I am pleased that the United States is assuming the chair of the MIRPS Support Platform.”

Carlos Antonio García, Undersecretary for Consular and Immigration Affairs of Honduras, highlighted the progress made by MIRPS countries in strengthening asylum systems and protection mechanisms. “These results encourage us to look to the future with optimism. This fills us with hope, knowing that through the common commitment of our region and international solidarity, we will multiply these achievements,” he said.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, who has closely followed MIRPS since its inception in 2017, applauded the progress made by MIRPS states, but stressed that more needs to be done. “We must recognize that the situation of millions of people continues to be dire. Neither they nor the countries of the region should be abandoned in the face of the challenges […]. Humanitarian and development actors must work together to strengthen protection and integration,” he said.

“It is essential that multilateral organizations, civil society and the private sector continue to join forces with MIRPS member states that still need additional investments to strengthen access to health, education, to the social protection, employment and livelihoods of populations displaced or at risk of displacement,” said Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian, Director of the Department of Social Inclusion at the Organization of American States (OAS).

About MIRPS:

The Comprehensive Regional Framework for Protection and Solutions (MIRPS) includes Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Panama. The MIRPS is an innovative mechanism for applying the Global Compact on Refugees to facilitate regional cooperation between countries of origin, transit and destination for greater shared responsibility for prevention, protection and durable solutions, in the face of increasing forced displacement in Central America and Mexico. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Organization of American States (OAS) support the MIRPS Technical Secretariat.

About MIRPS Support Platform:

The MIRPS Support Platform was created in December 2019 to support the efforts of MIRPS countries, with the aim of mobilizing support from the widest possible range of stakeholders. Currently, the support platform is made up of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the European Union (EU), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), France, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay, the United States, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Organization of American States (OAS), while UNHCR, the United Nations United Nations Refugee Agency, acts as the secretariat.

For more information please contact: