The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will visit countries in the region, including Costa Rica.
Filippo Grandi, leader of the UN agency charged with the protection of refugees and displaced persons, will be in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico and Costa Rica.
According to UNHCR, the objective of the visit is to get an overview of the displacement trends in the region. This is his first official visit to the region since he took office in January 2016.
In Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, Grandi will meet with communities affected by violence and insecurity. He will also carry out an assessment of the humanitarian and protection needs of asylum-seeking, refugee, internally displaced, deported and transiting people.
These three countries make up the so – called Northern Triangle of Central America, now considered one of the deadliest areas in the world, with a violent death rate higher than that of war zones. Thousands of migrants pass through this area each year, seeking to reach the United States.
During the last two years, Costa Rica has faced massive arrivals of migrants, mainly from Cuba and African countries, who are looking to go to the United States. But the migration overflowed the capacity of the country, which even paid for their transfer to North America.
In each country, Grandi will meet with national authorities, UNHCR partners and representatives of the United Nations system to promote the active participation of the countries of the region in the next High Level Roundtable, to be held in Honduras in October.