Refugee protection and responsibility sharing in Latin America: solidarity programmes and the Mexico Plan of Action

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyse the three solidarity programmes in the Mexico Plan of Action (MPA) -the responsibility sharing programme for regional resettlement, the integration of refugees into safe communities, and the development of border regions. The MPA is a step forward in strengthening the protection of human rights and the affirmation of the universality of human dignity. The MPA's objectives and programmes promote responsibility both at the regional level, through the notions of international solidarity and shared responsibility, and at the international level, as cooperation at a regional level could encourage similar initiatives in other regions.

A Liberal Region in a World of Closed Borders? The Liberalization of Asylum Policies in Latin America, 1990–2020

“…First, most Latin American countries re-democratized around this time, coming out of a series of Cold War-era dictatorships; thus, before this date, most Latin American countries produced considerably more refugees than they accepted (Loescher 2001;Chasteen 2011). Second, the regional process that kicked off the development of a common asylum framework began after the 1984 Cartagena declaration, the result of a meeting between academics, civil servants, and the UNHCR to find a common response to the forced displacement caused by the Central American civil wars of the 1980s (De Andrade 2014Harley 2014;Barichello 2016). 16 In the following section, I present the main findings from the analysis of the APLA Database.…”

“…First, Latin American countries historically have a long tradition of political asylum, which dates as far back as the 1889 Montevideo Treaty on International Penal Law (Harley 2014). This tradition has been concretely reinforced since 1984, when the informal process that kickstarted the development of a regional refugee protection framework in Latin America began (De Andrade 2014; Barichello 2016). Second, Latin America is currently experiencing its most significant displacement of people across the region since the Central American crisis of the 1980s (International Crisis Group 2018; Acosta, Blouin, and Freier 2019; Selee et al 2019; Berganza, Blouin, and Freier 2020; Chavez Gonzales and Estrada 2020; Selee and Bolter 2020).…”

The Limits and Opportunities of Regional Solidarity: Exploring Refugee Resettlement in Brazil and Chile

“…However, this solidarity, he argues, has provided a 'utopian ambition' that has not translated into effective implementation of resettlement as a durable solution. By contrast, other authors state that the principle of 'solidarity' has contributed to 'norm development', which facilitated regional cooperation in refugee protection (Barichello, 2015;Harley, 2014). Furthermore, the language of solidarity creates a branding of 'generosity' that helps states to increase acceptance of refugee protection and responsibility sharing (Kneebone, 2016).…”

“…In this context, the initiative of ‘solidarity resettlement’ in Latin America emerged as an innovative approach that would put into action the idea of regional solidarity (Barichello, ). The ‘solidarity resettlement programme’ was adopted as part of the MPA in 2004 and it was built around three pillars: the regional tradition of refugee protection in Latin America, the re‐birth of resettlement – related to its strategic use – and the principle of solidarity.…”

Comparative regional protection frameworks for refugees: norms and norm entrepreneurs

“…35 As Barichello explains, since the 1984 Cartagena Declaration Latin American countries have developed mechanisms and concepts that have 'sensibly approached the contemporary refugee problems that exist in the region'. 36 It has become the foundation of refugee policy in the region, incorporated into national legislation by a number of states; it has affirmed the importance of the non-refoulement principle, the importance of integration of refugees and the need to eradicate the causes of mass movements of people. 37 Barichello explains that, in 1994, a process of re-evaluation and revision led to the San Jose Declaration, which reiterated the importance of the 1984 Cartagena Declaration and broadened its scope in order to extend protection to internally displaced people.…”