The Diplomat
Representatives from Spain, Guatemala, the OECD and UNHCR held a virtual roundtable yesterday in which they highlighted the positive effects they consider the integration of refugees and forcibly displaced persons by private companies in Central America.
The roundtable was organised by Spain, which holds the Presidency of the Platform for Support to the Regional Integrated Framework for Protection and Solutions (MIRPS) for forced displacement in Central America/Mexico, to which Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Uruguay, Switzerland, the US, the EU, UNHCR, the OAS, ECLAC and the Inter-American Development Bank also belong. Italy, Norway and the Holy See have observer status.
According to a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the round table noted the “fundamental role of the private sector” in supporting states in addressing the challenges of protection and inclusion of refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons and returnees in the local economies of the region, which includes Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Panama.
The meeting was attended, on the Spanish side, by a representative of the Directorate General of the United Nations, International Organisations and Human Rights, together with representatives of UNHCR, the OAS, Guatemala and the Americas Society/Council of the Americas, as well as various companies in the region, who shared successful experiences in favouring the inclusion of refugees.
The note highlights “the advantages and benefits for the business sector of including displaced persons in their activities and programmes and the valuable contribution that companies can make to the development of a culture of hospitality, integration and respect for human rights.
