El Salvador has decided to join a regional initiative to address the impact of forced migration in Central America in order to better assist and protect forcibly displaced individuals, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said in a release on Friday
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th July, 2019) El Salvador has decided to join a regional initiative to address the impact of forced migration in Central America in order to better assist and protect forcibly displaced individuals, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said in a release on Friday."UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes El Salvador's decision to join a regional initiative that aims to better address forced displacement in and from Central America, and to help those affected by it," the release said. "By joining the initiative, known in the region by its Spanish acronym MIRPS, the new Government of El Salvador is taking an important step in assisting and protecting forcibly displaced people."
UNHCR noted in the release that some 46,800 Salvadorans sought asylum in 2018 as a result of widespread violence, ranking their country sixth among countries of origin for new asylum-seekers globally.
In addition, a new UNHCR-supported government study showed that at least 71,500 Salvadorans have been internally displaced by the violence, the release said.
UNHCR said the next step for the government is to develop a national action plan that sets out specific ways of enhancing the protection of internally displaced people.
Other countries involved in MIRPS include Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama.
