United Nations, September 19 (EFE). – Panamanian President Laurentino Cortizo made a call this Tuesday at the UN General Assembly to the international community to address the problem of irregular migration “to its full extent”. which, as he said, is in an “untenable situation”.
In this sense, the President argued that the problem of irregular migration should be addressed multilaterally, with a focus on respect for human rights and the principles of solidarity and shared responsibility, “with the aim of preserving the integrity of human life in… in a safe and orderly manner”.
Cortizo went a step further, pointing out that all efforts in this direction must focus on the aspect of human development, with “the highest priority being to provide the population with opportunities for a more dignified life in their own countries.”
“In this way, they would not be forced to leave their countries, emigrate irregularly, expose themselves to violations of their human rights and, in many cases, lose their lives,” he explained.
Likewise, Cortizo stressed that Panama is “actively working” with several countries in the region on programs to improve the care and protection of irregular migrants.
He added that these migrants enter Panama through the border with Colombia and “traverse the dangerous jungle of Darién, the largest natural park in all of Central America.”
At least 350,841 migrants have crossed the Darién so far this year, the majority of whom are Venezuelans. These historical figures exceed the total number of travelers who crossed this jungle in 2022 (248,000).
From the shelters in Darién, the migrants are taken by bus at their own expense to another shelter near Costa Rica, from where they are transported the same route to the border with Nicaragua.
The authorities have acknowledged that the current migration flow has exceeded the capacities of the migration stations and international organizations in Darién.
To deal with the growing traffic of irregular travelers crossing the Darién jungle, Cortizo stressed that his country is making “huge efforts” to provide solidarity care “to these irregular migrants, whose numbers are increasing every year, forcing Panama to to provide significant resources for aid.” “humanitarian”.
For this reason, the Panamanian leader described the matter as an “untenable, undesirable, inhumane situation; a humanitarian drama of pain, suffering and death for hundreds of thousands of migrants who embark on this risky journey.”
“I reiterate that this is an untenable situation, a situation in which we are victims and not responsible,” he said.
In his call, Cortizo called on the international community to “address in its entirety the problem of irregular migration, which today is not only concentrated in the Mediterranean but is global in nature and which currently directly affects Panamanians.”
Recently, Panama announced a package of measures to address the migration crisis in the Darien region, including increasing deportations and relocating checkpoints where travelers arrive.