Ecuador has the largest recognised refugee population in Latin America. Of the more than 230,000 refugees and asylum seekers in the country, 60,500 are registered refugees, 90% of whom are from Colombia.[1] Refugees and asylum seekers have freedom of movement…
For refugees and other migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras – the Northern Triangle of Central America[1] – communication is one of their greatest priorities during their route north. From interviews conducted in migrant shelters in Mexico in 2016,…
One of the goals of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), established in 2008, is to establish a single South American citizenship. This would be a huge and innovative step, reflecting the political will and spirit underlying a number…
Syrians fleeing conflict in their country began arriving in Brazil in 2010 but it was only from 2012 onwards that Syrian asylum applications increased in the country. This increase led Brazil’s National Committee for Refugees (CONARE) to approve Resolution 17/2013,[1]…
State repression, looting and civil violence have left Venezuelans in a state of uneasiness and fear, with the erosion of the country’s socio-political stability further exacerbated by shortages of food and medicine, crippling inflation and a dramatic devaluation of the…
In late 2016 the peace agreement between the government and FARC-EP[1] was finally signed. According to official figures, the war has left 8,405,265 victims, 80% of whom have been internally displaced, while 20% have been victims of other types of…
The recent signing of a peace agreement between the government of Colombia and the country’s largest guerrilla group, FARC[1], fired hopes of finally achieving a stable and lasting peace. However, the actions of other armed groups pose a serious threat…
In 2004, Brazil marked the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Cartagena Declaration by proposing a regional resettlement programme. The Cartagena Declaration of 1984 had encouraged the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean to make greater provision for…
The effects of climate change influence the frequency and intensity of disasters and slow-onset environmental degradation processes, exacerbating pre-existing risks and vulnerabilities.[1] Between 2000 and the middle of 2015 an estimated eight million people were displaced or evacuated in the…
Uruguay was the first Latin American country since the start of the Syrian war to resettle Syrian refugees from Lebanon. However, what was designed in 2014 as a gesture of solidarity by a sympathetic, pioneering country has become an uncomfortable…