Amérique Centrale

Context

• The countries of the North of Central America (NCA) are experiencing socio-economic turmoil and high levels of violence resulting in a multi-causal large movement of IDPs, refugees and migrants throughout the region. Recent years, however, have witnessed a drastic increase in the number of persons fleeing violence in the NCA to seek international protection in neighboring countries. The United States of America, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and El Salvador are all affected, either as countries of origin, transit or destination, and in some cases, in a combination of these. At the same time, despite efforts to begin addressing root causes of displacement, all indications point to the fact that forced displacement from and in the NCA countries will continue.
• Prior to the 2016 Summit on Refugees and Migrants, States in the region already had recognized the need for a comprehensive regional approach to the complex situation of forced displacement in the NCA. In adopting the 2016 San Jose Action Statement, States and other partners in the region expressed their collective commitment to address the root causes of displacement in the NCA and to strengthen protection and solutions for those affected.
• Building on the San Jose Action Statement and other regional responsibility sharing mechanisms, including the Brazil Plan of Action, the CRRF in the Americas, also known as Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (CRPSF), will support States in delivering on their existing commitments while adding depth and sustainability to their interventions.
• The CRPSF process hopes to galvanize alongside States a wide range of stakeholders from the UN, NGO, civil society, financial institutions and private sector in a stock-taking exercise, needs assessment, prioritization, as well as implementation.
• The approach will be validated by all States concerned at a High Level Round Table, planned to take place in Honduras in October 2017.

Key Needs

• The Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (CRPSF) will aim at securing the support of different stakeholders to address the specific and quantified needs identified during the national and regional consultations, including through innovative responsibility sharing arrangements. Additional support would focus on strengthening of asylum systems; increasing prospects for access alternative legal pathways and durable solutions, through in-country processing programs and the Protection Transfer Arrangement (PTA) that offers protection to persons at heightened risk through evacuation procedures; promoting better targeted support by international and regional financial institutions; creating and leveraging new partnerships supporting those who are forcibly displaced and the communities hosting them through the employment and education opportunities or the funding of programmes and encouraging international recognition the extraordinary regional solidarity and responsibility-sharing mechanisms that exist in the Americas.
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Existing Frameworks

Brazil Declaration and Plan of Action - In December 2014, the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean met in Brasilia to mark the 30th anniversary of the Cartagena Declaration on Refugees of 1984 and adopted by acclamation the Declaration and Plan of Action of Brasilia, agreeing to work together to maintain the highest standards of protection at the international and regional level, implement innovative solutions for refugees and displaced persons, and end the difficult situation faced by the stateless persons in the region.
San Jose Action statement - In the San Jose Action Statement, States in the region have already acknowledged the need for comprehensive actions to enhance protection and respond to the most urgent needs of asylum seekers, refugees, IDPs, migrants and returnees in the NTCA, and made a number of commitments to this end. The Declaration, which further builds on earlier commitments made in the Brazil Plan of Action, highlights that the region is well disposed to facing the current situation through cooperation and responsibility sharing mechanisms. Further, a wide range of active stakeholders from international organizations and financial institutions, civil society, private sector and academia are actively engaged with these mechanisms.
Action Roundtable on Protection Needs in the NTCA - UNHCR, in collaboration with the Organization of American States, convened a high-level roundtable on 6-7 July 2016 to explore opportunities to address the protection crisis more strategically, collaboratively and systematically and to adopt a comprehensive plan of action. The two-day event –held in San José, Costa Rica – was the first international meeting of its kind focused on current forced displacement in Central America. It brought together government representatives from as far south as Panama and as far north as Canada; UN organizations; and key actors from the humanitarian and development sectors at the national and regional level, including the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank and leading NGOs.

CRRF Partners

Under Development