San José, Costa Rica — The strengthening of Costa Rica's Refugee Unit has contributed to improving the assistance provided to more than 32,000 asylum seekers during the first year of operation of the modernized platform. This was achieved through a more orderly, timely, and vulnerability-sensitive response, within the framework of a project implemented by Costa Rica's General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners (DGME), financed by the Government of Spain through the MIRPS Fund and supported by the Department of Access to Rights of the GS/OAS.
The project was implemented in a context of significant pressure on the asylum system and focused on reviewing and optimizing service delivery flows from the very first point of contact with asylum seekers. These improvements helped strengthen institutional capacity to identify vulnerability profiles at an early stage, appropriately refer cases, and move forward in reducing accumulated delays in service provision, indirectly benefiting all individuals accessing the refugee system.
The results achieved have an impact both on those assisted during the implementation period and on the broader population of asylum seekers entering the system each year—estimated at more than 30,000 annually—who now benefit from clearer, more accessible, and more efficient processes.
The achievements of the project were presented during a virtual results presentation event that brought together national authorities, technical teams, and representatives of the international cooperation community.
During the event, Ambassador Carmen Montón, Permanent Observer Representative of Spain to the OAS, stated: "Today's event once again highlights Spain's firm commitment to the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS) and to the region. We are convinced that only through coordinated efforts among States, civil society, and international organizations can effective and sustainable responses to the challenges of forced displacement be achieved, and progress be made toward truly humane and transformative human mobility."
Cindy Molina Mora, Head of the Refugee Unit, emphasized that improving institutional processes allows for more appropriate assistance to asylum seekers with specific needs, including those in situations of heightened vulnerability, noting that "it primarily involves rethinking processes, service delivery flows, and the organization of spaces based on the realities of the population being served. In this sense, the early identification of vulnerability profiles has become a key pillar for providing more efficient, but also more humane, responses."
In her remarks, Claudia Gonzalez Bengoa, representing the OAS Department of Access to Rights, underscored the importance of investing in institutional processes as a central component of protection responses: "The MIRPS Fund was designed precisely to support countries in these types of efforts, strengthening institutional capacities and promoting solutions that can be sustained over time. In this regard, this project represents an important step toward modernizing service delivery spaces and processes, and toward a stronger and more coordinated State response."
The project was financed by the Government of Spain through the MIRPS Fund, a mechanism that supports States in the region in strengthening their capacities to respond to challenges related to the protection of asylum seekers, using a human rights–based approach.
About the MIRPS Fund
The MIRPS Fund is the voluntary contributions fund of the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS) for forced displacement in Central America and Mexico. It was unanimously approved by the OAS Permanent Council on May 27, 2020, in compliance with the mandate issued to the OAS General Secretariat by the Organization's highest political authority during the OAS General Assembly held in 2019 in Medellín, Colombia. The MIRPS Fund is administered by the OAS Department of Access to Rights.
Created within the OAS, the MIRPS Fund is one of the mechanisms for mobilizing and channeling financial resources through voluntary contributions, enabling the seven MIRPS countries—Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama—to fulfill the commitments assumed under this process. It promotes a shared responsibility approach to addressing the challenges posed by forced displacement in the region, with the aim of protecting and improving the living conditions of displaced persons and the communities that host them.
About the MIRPS
The Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS) is an innovative mechanism for implementing the Global Compact on Refugees. It facilitates regional cooperation among countries of origin, transit, and destination to promote greater shared responsibility in prevention, protection, and durable solutions in response to increasing forced displacement in Central America and Mexico. The MIRPS Technical Secretariat is jointly led by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Organization of American States (OAS), through its Department of Access to Rights within the Secretariat for Strengthening Democracy.
Reference: E-009/26
