Latin America adopts comprehensive plan to help refugees
Brazil and over 30 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean will implement the plan, which will be officially introduced Wednesday (3) at the end of the ministry meeting on refugees.
A comprehensive action plan to support refugees, and displaced and stateless persons in Latin America and the Caribbean was announced Tuesday (Dec. 2) in Brasília, as a result of Cartagena+30, an event held by Brazil's government in a partnership with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Brazil and over 30 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean will implement the plan, which will be officially introduced Wednesday (3) at the end of the ministry meeting on refugees.
One of the main points of the agreement is a commitment to eradicate statelessness and include the Caribbean in this process, which had so far been limited to Latin American countries. In addition to the plan, a Declaration of Brazil was published reiterating the commitment of the countries with refugees, displaced, and stateless persons.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, noted that the document “gives Latin America a leading role in this issue. More than a mere document to execute on a schedule, it's a new path towards better solutions,” he said.
“This plan describes a series of initiatives to be implemented by countries in a coordinated and integrated manner so that we can regularly review its implementation,” said Paulo Abrão, National Secretary for Justice and President of the National Committee for Refugees (CONARE).
He pointed out that Brazil has done its job of creating legal certainty for stateless persons (those whose countries of origin have ceased to exist or were split into more territories). “[Here in Brazil], we have just finished a bill to bridge a legal gap with stateless persons,” he said. The bill is awaiting consideration by the Foreign Ministry so that it can be submitted to Congress for voting.
Talking about the Declaration of Brazil, the Secretary-General of the Norwegian Council for Refugees, Jan Egeland, noted the ability of Latin American countries to work together. “There is a lack of cooperation in Europe, Asia, and Africa. We even have a document to show Europeans how cooperation works in the Americas.”
Translated by Mayra Borges
Fonte: Latin America adopts comprehensive plan to help refugees
