Roundtable on Protection Needs in the Northern Triangle of Central America

The number of people fleeing violence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras has surged to levels not seen since armed conflicts wracked the region in the 1980s. Today they are fleeing violence and persecution at the hands of gangs and other criminal groups as well as acute poverty.

A high-level roundtable on 6-7 July 2016 in San José, Costa Rica, will explore opportunities for a coordinated response to this growing need for international protection.

A woman fleeing El Salvador walks along the train tracks in Chiapas, Mexico.

In light of the magnitude, scope and complexity of the Central America situation, there is an urgent need for broader regional coordination to ensure timely and solutions oriented responses. UNHCR, in collaboration with the Organization of American States, has therefore convened a high-level roundtable on 6-7 July 2016 to explore opportunities to address the protection crisis more strategically, collaboratively and systematically and to adopt a comprehensive plan of action.

“With few avenues for safe passage to seek asylum, refugees are exposed to exploitation and abuse, and their needs left without an adequate response.”

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi

The two-day event – to be held in San José, Costa Rica – is the first international meeting of its kind focused on current forced displacement in Central America. It will bring together government representatives from as far south as Panama and as far north as Canada; UN organizations; and key actors from the humanitarian and development sectors at the national and regional level, including the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank and leading NGOs.