Attachments
Key Figures
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Over 13,000 Refugees and asylum-seekers live in Panama, mainly from Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.
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196,371 People crossed the Darien jungle between January and June in 2023, four times the number of those who arrived during the same period in 2022
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UNHCR donated 2,250 Mosquito nets to the National Migration Service (SNM) for distribution at Darien’s Temporary Migratory Reception Centres (ETRMs) and other reception points.
Context
Following the significant escalation in mixed movements northwards, in May, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, Kelly Clements, visited Panama, and appealed for urgent support for Latin American and Caribbean countries, hosting most of the region’s 20 million refugees and migrants. By the end of this month, and for the first time in 2023, the number of people crossing the jungle did not exceed the previous month’s records.
As of 30 June, nearly 200,000 people had crossed the Darien jungle seeking protection and better life opportunities. The Director of the National Migration Service (SNM) stated that the country faces an unprecedented mixed movement crisis, and that from 2019 to date, the Government has spent over 65 million dollars in the provision of humanitarian assistance, including food, shelter, and primary healthcare.
UNHCR provides technical support to government entities accountable for refugee protection, including the Ministry of Interior and the National Office for the Attention of Refugees (ONPAR).