The seven countries of the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS) — Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Panama — concluded the VIII MIRPS Annual Meeting yesterday with the adoption of the Heredia Declaration, an agreement that reaffirms the regional commitment to strengthen protection, promote durable solutions, and advance more coordinated responses to forced displacement in Central America and Mexico.
In the Declaration, States outlined joint actions to be implemented in 2026 and recognized that displacement in the region is driven by multiple causes — including violence and socioeconomic factors — underscoring the need for a comprehensive response that addresses root causes, guarantees human rights, and promotes durable solutions.
This year, countries highlighted significant progress in strengthening their asylum systems, expanding access to employment and education pathways, and improving inter-institutional coordination mechanisms. While these achievements represent concrete steps forward, States acknowledged that greater efforts are needed to respond to the more than 1.7 million people affected by displacement in Central America and Mexico. They also emphasized the importance of collaboration with local governments, international financial institutions, and regional mechanisms such as the CRM, the Quito Process, and Cartagena +40 to consolidate a more coordinated response.
Costa Rica, serving as Pro Tempore Chair in 2025, prioritized strengthening initiatives aimed at facilitating protection and socioeconomic integration of displaced persons through joint work between national and regional authorities. Throughout the year, efforts were made to advance regional coordination with platforms and key actors to enhance the response to displacement.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi, highlighted the relevance of the mechanism and recalled both the importance of regional cooperation and the principles of international protection, noting that "the MIRPS demonstrates that dialogue, cooperation, and shared responsibility are not only possible but essential… the right to seek asylum is a moral and legal obligation that strengthens — rather than contradicts — State sovereignty."
The Organization of American States (OAS) reiterated its support as MIRPS Technical Secretariat alongside UNHCR. "Through the Inter-American System, we have raised awareness and positioned the MIRPS as a model for coordinated action. The MIRPS Fund is already transforming lives. In 2025, we implemented the Fund's first project portfolio, financed by Spain, benefiting more than 24,000 displaced people across Central America and Mexico," said OAS Secretary General Albert Ramdin.
Members of the MIRPS Support Platform, which include donor countries, international financial institutions, and technical partners, renewed their commitment to supporting regional efforts. During the high-level session, Colombia completed its mandate as Chair of the Support Platform, reaffirming its commitment to continue promoting resource mobilization, the exchange of good practices, and coordination among international actors whose support has been essential to driving projects in MIRPS countries and strengthening their response capacity.
At the close of the VIII MIRPS Annual Meeting, Costa Rica officially transferred the MIRPS Pro Tempore Chair to El Salvador, which will lead the mechanism in 2026.
About the MIRPS:
The Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS) includes Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Panama. The MIRPS is an innovative mechanism for implementing the Global Compact on Refugees by facilitating regional cooperation among countries of origin, transit, and destination to strengthen shared responsibility in prevention, protection, and durable solutions in the face of increasing displacement in Central America and Mexico. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Organization of American States (OAS), through its Department of Access to Rights, serve as the MIRPS Technical Secretariat.
About the MIRPS Support Platform:
The MIRPS Support Platform was created in December 2019 to assist MIRPS countries by mobilizing support from the broadest possible range of stakeholders. The Platform currently includes Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the European Union (EU), France, Spain, Switzerland, Uruguay, the United States of America, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank Group, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Organization of American States (OAS) serve as the Technica lSecretariat of the Platform.
Reference: E-079/25
