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RMRP 2020 - Central America & Mexico

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Strategic Response Priorities

Prioritization of protection, integration, safe access to the territory and health are key needs for the Venezuelan population. To achieve this goal:

Information on documentation and asylum procedures will be strengthened and consolidated.
Capacity of government counterparts will be strengthened and expanded.

Furthermore, community-based responses will be prioritized to promote peaceful coexistence.

Partners will implement activities based on their expertise and have established referrals systems to ensure individuals can access different services based on needs.

Fostering private sector engagement will be key in the medium and long-term strategy for integration.

Situation

The countries of the Central American & Mexico sub-region (Costa Rica, Mexico and Panama) have been exposed to multiple displacement dynamics, including refugees and migrants from Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, as well as from Venezuela. According to official figures, more than 175,000 Venezuelans resided in the sub-region. This figure is expected to reach up to 282,000 by end-2020.

Amidst these sub-regional dynamics, the increasingly vulnerable profiles of arriving Venezuelans exert additional pressure on strained national infrastructures, as demonstrated by delays in processing claims for migratory regularization and asylum requests, as well as gaps in the provision of reception, documentation, basic needs and services, and the availability of local integration opportunities.

The above notwithstanding, some countries covered under the sub-region have maintained their open-door policy for refugees and migrants from Venezuela, as they increasingly see these countries as countries of destination, where their international protection needs can be met. To achieve this, current challenges faced by Venezuelans in the subregion, such as information on available services, access to basic rights and documentation, as well as integration opportunities to combat increasing xenophobic attitudes, require addressing.