NGOs call on Latin American and Caribbean governments to implement and follow up on the Chile Declaration and Plan of Action to address the challenges of forced displacement in the region
Panama City—This week, Latin American and Caribbean governments are meeting in Santiago to mark an important milestone: adopting the Chile Declaration and Plan of Action 2024-2034. Inspired by the 1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refugees, this new agreement addresses the challenges of forced displacement and statelessness in the region.
This new agreement comes at an opportune time. The region faces multiple forced displacement crises affecting 23 million refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, and stateless persons. This is equivalent to 17% of the global figure. In addition, more than 30 million people in the region need urgent humanitarian assistance, including those displaced by violence and the effects of climate change.
Governments must redouble their efforts to implement the expanded refugee definition contained in the 1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refugees without discrimination. We especially urge those countries that have not yet adopted it to take advantage of this agreement as an opportunity to integrate it into their legal frameworks.
We advocate that civil society, including organizations led by refugees, displaced persons, and stateless persons, be permanently incorporated into the governance structure of the follow-up mechanism of the Chile Plan of Action: from planning to evaluation. This will help ensure their contributions are considered in policy implementation and monitoring. We consider this tool indispensable in searching for context-appropriate responses that better meet the population's needs and are aligned with the efforts of localization and accountability to affected communities.
The LAC RMD Coalition, which brings together more than 25 international organizations, recognizes the Government of Chile's leadership in this process. It is focused on providing more effective and sustainable responses for the 23 million people forced to flee their homes in our region. The Coalition reaffirms its willingness to collaborate with governments, international organizations, civil society, and academia in implementing and following the commitments made in the Chile Declaration and Plan of Action 2024-2034.
Notes to the editor
Note to editors:
The LAC RMD Coalition is a strategic alliance of 25 international organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean that work with refugee, migrant, and displaced populations. It is guided by international and regional human rights principles and standards, international refugee law, and international humanitarian law.
The Cartagena +40 process, led by Chile, is based on the 1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refugees. This initiative seeks to address the challenges related to forced displacement and statelessness in Latin America and the Caribbean. It will reach a key milestone by adopting a Declaration and Plan of Action for 2024-2034 on December 11-12 in Santiago, Chile, guiding the next 10 years of work.
According to UNHCR, more than 23 million people in the region are refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced, or stateless, representing 17% of the global figure. In addition, more than 30 million people in Haiti, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Colombia, and Venezuela require urgent humanitarian assistance, according to estimates of the needs overview coordinated by the United Nations in these countries.
Contact: secretaria@coalicionlacrmd.org
Website: www.coalicionlacrmd.org
