Canada works with partners to address forced displacement in the Americas

From: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

News release

September 21, 2022—New York, New York—Canada recognizes strong partnerships are key to addressing shared challenges and advancing the common objective of building a more peaceful, equitable and prosperous post-pandemic world.

During Canada’s tenure as chair of the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS) Support Platform, Canada championed the protection, empowerment and meaningful participation of forcibly displaced women and girls in vulnerable situations. We also committed to working with countries on initiatives that support human rights, transparency, non-discrimination and responsibility sharing in Central America and Mexico.

Building on this commitment, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, announced today, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, 3 new projects to bolster support for displaced persons and their host countries.

Through the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the first project will help respond to the protection needs of individuals in vulnerable situations in Panama and Costa Rica. This project will establish cross-border referral protocols, build the capacity of local stakeholders and authorities to identify and assist vulnerable migrants, and ensure proper access to basic services, information and dignified treatment.

The second initiative will support the IOM’s efforts to strengthen the capacity of governments and civil society organizations to develop and implement effective and humane migration policies and to promote well-managed migration in the Latin America and Caribbean region. Key areas of focus include supporting the socio-economic integration of migrants, combatting xenophobia, strengthening migration and border management processes, and raising awareness about the risks associated with irregular migration.

Finally, the third project will strengthen the United Nations Refugee Agency’s efforts to support asylum capacity development in Panama. This includes training and mentoring to help improve asylum application processing and reduce its existing application backlog.

The capacity-building projects announced today reflect Canada’s continued commitment to partnering with the global community to provide sustainable support to respond to human mobility crises. These projects will help foster solidarity amongst partner countries through comprehensive and coordinated approaches that respond to the regional situation of forced displacement in Central America and Mexico. 

Quotes

“As we are nearing the end of our term as chair of the MIRPS Support Platform and are moving to a new role as past chair under its governance model, Canada will continue to be a strong voice and advocate for women and girls, while also working with countries to ensure sustainable support for refugees in Central America and Mexico. The projects announced today are a reflection of our continued commitment to strengthen responsibility sharing in the region and to help the world’s most vulnerable have clear pathways to safety.”

– The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

“Canada is deeply concerned with the forced displacement of more than one million people in and from countries in Central America and Mexico. Not only must they leave their homes against their will, they also face violence, inequality, poverty, and food insecurity. Through our work with the MIRPS Support Platform and projects such as these, we will help address the needs of the forcibly displaced and better support the communities who so generously host them.”

– Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada

Quick facts

  • The Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS) is an initiative of the Global Compact on Refugees that encourages regional cooperation among countries of origin, transit and destination for greater responsibility sharing in matters of prevention, protection and durable solutions in the face of growing forced displacement in Central America. 

  • The MIRPS Support Platform was launched in December 2019 to support the efforts of the MIRPS countries. Its current members include Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the European Union, France, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay, the United States, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Organization of American States, and the United Nations Refugee Agency. 

  • Over 1 million people have been forcibly displaced in and from countries in Central America and Mexico due to violence, inequality, poverty and food insecurity.

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Contacts

Aidan Strickland
Press Secretary
Minister’s Office, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
aidan.strickland@cic.gc.ca

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
613-952-1650
IRCC.COMMMediaRelations-RelationsmediasCOMM.IRCC@cic.gc.ca

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