Panama City, (EFE) – In the “Darién Declaration” made at the Regional Conference on Migration (CRM), the Dominican Republic, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Panama, They showed their concern this Friday about the dangers faced by the thousands of migrants who cross the Darién jungle, the natural border between Colombia and Panama.
In addition, they recommended involving civil society in the development of a roadmap to deal with the phenomenon.
In the declaration, the countries reaffirm the “principles and approaches established in the RCM Statutory Charter, especially the principles of Shared Responsibility, Respect for the Rule of Law, Human Rights and International Cooperation.”
They recommend “coordinating” with civil society organizations and international organizations to prepare a “road map at the regional level.”
This must include points in common with short and medium-term objectives, such as giving “the possibility of providing humanitarian assistance, international protection, complementary protection alternatives and other forms of protection, regular migration mechanisms and border management.”
Thus, they proposed carrying out awareness campaigns on the risks of irregular migration, with emphasis on the dangers of falling into the hands of organized crime, a common situation for migrants who cross the Darién.
They also promoted the creation of a dialogue with the countries involved, expanding international cooperation to develop economic opportunities in the “communities of origin”, and addressing extra-regional migration as a permanent theme at the South American Conference on Migration (CSM), as part of a joint agenda.
Added to this is working with the host communities of these flows and assessing the proposal made by Panama to implement a “training course” on the model of the Humanitarian Border Security Unit at the regional level.
Lastly, they recommended “maximizing” visibility and access to regular migration pathways throughout the region for protection, employment, and family reunification; reinforce the exchange of information to combat human trafficking crimes and coordinate with the Comprehensive Regional Framework for Protection and Solutions (MIRPS).
On Thursday, the representatives of the member countries of the RCM made a working tour of the Darién, the jungle border of Panama with Colombia, protagonist in recent years of a crisis of migrants in transit to North America.
The Darién has been used for years by people from all over the world traveling to the United States, and in 2021 more than 130,000 migrants crossed it, a historic number recorded in the midst of a regional migration crisis.
In the last year, Panamanian authorities have recorded the death of dozens of migrants, many drowned in swollen rivers, as well as cases of robbery and rape.
