Honduras: Monitoring the Humanitarian Response - Bulletin N° 1 | January-June 2024

Situation Update

During the first half of 2024, Honduras continued to face the impacts of the shocks outlined in the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2024 (HNRP): food and nutrition insecurity; generalized violence; human mobility; and climate change and disasters. The intersection of violence, environmental risks and the humanitarian impacts of human mobility require a coordinated response from the Humanitarian Network in Honduras that complements the measures adopted by the State.

Human mobility

According to official figures, between 1 January and 30 June, 248,035 people entered the country: 49 per cent men, 26 per cent women and 25 per cent children and adolescents (14 per cent boys and 11 per cent girls). The number of minors who entered during this period increased by 157 per cent compared to 2023. Of those who entered, 96.8 per cent did so through the municipalities of Danlí and Trojes, in the department of El Paraíso, bordering Nicaragua. This situation, along with the risks faced by refugees and migrants, present significant challenges for the humanitarian response.

Local Eastern Border Teams have raised alarms about escalating gender-based violence, human trafficking and forced labour, as well as ongoing barriers to accessing humanitarian services. Similarly, the Local Western Border Team has highlighted the critical needs that people face before crossing the border between Honduras and Guatemala, emphasizing the importance of strengthening access to information.

Food and nutrition insecurity

Although there has been slight improvement since 2023, food insecurity may worsen by the end of 2024 due to hurricane season conditions, forecasted to be highly active due to impending La Niña conditions. This is likely to hinder food availability and access. Food security remains a particular concern in the southern region and the Dry Corridor of Honduras, areas characterized by high vulnerability to climatic hazards. Long periods of drought followed by shorter episodes of excessive rainfall severely disrupt livelihoods and food and nutrition security.

Since June, the Secretariat for the Management of Risks and National Contingencies (COPECO) has declared an indefinite red alert for 140 municipalities across the country due to the excessive rainfall associated with the La Niña phenomenon. This, combined with low agricultural production, has impacted food security in these areas.