Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, concluded on 10 April her first mission to Central America and Mexico, highlighting that a hemispheric approach based on solidarity and solutions is the only way to protect and stabilize the unprecedented number of forcibly displaced people in the region. The new hemispheric approach stresses the need to address these challenges comprehensively in countries of origin, transit, destination, and return. In support, Menikdiwela met with various levels of government and other stakeholders to enhance access to international protection and related arrangements – including strengthening asylum systems and promoting safe legal admission pathways.
UNHCR launched on 24 April the UNHCR Climate Resilience Fund, seeking to boost the protection of refugees and displaced communities who are most threatened by climate change. For the first time, the Fund will exclusively target financing efforts to protect the most threatened displaced communities, equipping them to prepare for, withstand and recover from climate-related shocks. Ecuador and Honduras are among 22 identified countries by UNHCR worldwide where data demonstrates that the impact of the climate crisis will only get worse by 2030. However, while these countries will have priority for funding from the Climate Resilience Fund, all UNHCR operations are eligible for funding.
UNHCR renewed its call for a coordinated hemispheric approach to address the magnitude and complexity of the mixed movement of refugees and migrants in the Americas, as underscored during the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection ministerial meeting hosted by the Government of Guatemala on 7 May. Addressing the participants, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, highlighted the personal stories and plight of hundreds of thousands of people embarking on long journeys across the continent, including some of those he recently met during his visit to the Darien border area. He stressed the considerable progress achieved by various initiatives to address the urgent needs of refugees and migrants in the region to implement the Declaration’s objectives, urging increased efforts and coordination among all stakeholders. The Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection is a crucial framework for regional cooperation, aligned with the Global Compact on Refugees.
On 29 May, the Refugee Commission of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay approved a pilot plan that will allow prima facie refugee status recognition to Venezuelan asylum-seekers, who meet certain basic requirements to access this legal status, without the need to conduct an interview. This measure could reach some 3,500 Venezuelans, out of a total of 24,000 individuals of different nationalities who until the end of last year had sought asylum in Uruguay. At the same time, they will facilitate a regularization process for those who have links with the country either through family, studies or employment. Both measures announced by the Uruguayan government are in line with its pledges made during the 2023 Global Refugee Forum, and it is in line with the Los Angeles Declaration on stabilization and provision of solutions to human mobility in the Americas. UNHCR is seeking additional resources to provide technical and material assistance for the implementation of both programmes in partnership with the Uruguayan government.
UNHCR released in June its two flagship reports, the Global Trends and Global Report. Together, these reports present a global picture of crises continuing to erupt and unfold. The rise in overall forced displacement – to 120 million by May 2024 – was the 12th consecutive annual increase and reflects both new and mutating conflicts, and a failure to resolve long-standing crises. UNHCR warned against apathy and inaction amid spike in forced displacement. In the Americas, as global levels of forced displacement continued to rise, UNHCR highlighted progress on solutions. In the region, 23 million people were assisted or protected by UNHCR in 2023 compared to 20 million people in 2022 and 16 million in 2021.
The consultative phase of the Cartagena +40 Process was completed on 20 June after four consultations: Protection (Mexico, 4 and 5 April); Solutions (Brasilia, 16 and 17 May); Caribbean countries (Bogotá, 18 June); and Displacement in disasters (Bogota, 19 and 20 June). More than 450 participants from 24 Latin American and Caribbean governments, refugee-led and civil society organizations, academia, local governments and municipalities, UN agencies and international organizations, private sector, multilateral development banks, and observer States participated throughout this process. Conclusions and recommendations were drafted after each consultation, compiling more than 300 interventions. These inputs have been included in the drafts of both the Chile Declaration and its Plan of Action 2024-2034. Additionally, Chile submitted a proposal for the establishment of a follow-up mechanism to the Cartagena+40 Process.