At the meeting, they agreed to set up working groups with the support of delegations from some twenty countries, including for the first time the United States, a country of destination for irregular migration whose government applies discriminatory measures on the matter.
For the President of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo, the problem must be tackled from the perspective of shared responsibility between the countries of origin, transit – among which Panama stands out – and destination, particularly the United States, Canada and Mexico, in that order. .
In a message to the forum, the President pointed out that “in the face of a problem of this magnitude, we cannot remain in discourse, hence our commitment to work with friendly countries as strategic allies in the search for common solutions with cross-cutting policies and concrete actions.”
Judging from what could be verified in two-day meetings, a good part behind closed doors, everything points to a scenario in which they will emphasize the standardization of continental politics.
They also promoted cooperation among States, intergovernmental organizations and development banks and international aid funds to deal in an orderly, safe and humane manner with the high levels of migration flows and the causes they foster.
For the host Foreign Minister Erika Mouynes, after the first meeting convened by Panama in August last year, progress was made in this version for a sustainable and humanitarian response to the high flows of transcontinental migration.
The mere presence of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken; and that of National Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, who represents the strategic partner in this offensive, is a cardinal, the diplomat told the press.
They also identified the urgency of funding for the so-called states affected by irregular migration (origin, transit and destination states).
They also agreed that it is crucial to fight human trafficking and criminal gangs that promote disinformation and threaten the physical integrity of migrants, victims of their trafficking networks.
“We are determined to ensure the application of international humanitarian law and to dismantle the organized criminal networks that prey on the hopes of thousands of men, women and children in search of better opportunities, as we have done thus far,” the one said official Minister of Security of Panama, Juan Pino.
At the meeting in the Isthmian nation, attended by international organizations such as the Red Cross, the United Nations, but above all financiers, they spoke out in favor of stabilizing migrant-hosting communities and their recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
They also pointed out that it is crucial to address the root causes of the phenomenon, which includes developing infrastructure and basic needs in the countries of origin as a mechanism to prevent illicit flows.
As the next step in the strategy, Mouynes announced another meeting of delegates from Central America and the Caribbean for May 3 to assess the economic impact of the geopolitical context, which is also affecting migration.
He also announced that the meeting is expected to be attended by the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, a bloc that will strengthen ties of cooperation and alliance.
The regional meeting on migration in Panama was more the same or, as Blinken himself recognized, at least allowed us to see the challenge that this scourge poses and the need for cross-sectoral coordination.
In the end, the meeting proved to be the best prelude to the goal of the Joe Biden administration’s envoys before the IX. Summit of the Americas, to be held in Los Angeles, California in June, one of the most important of which will include a statement by the heads of state on migration and protection, for which they found the expected consensus.
On the other hand, the increasing passage through the isthmus of irregular migrants through the Darién jungle bordering Colombia on the way to the so-called promised dream, the United States, has been confirmed.
The record number of more than 133,000 migrants from 35 countries transiting through the jungle was joined by another 13,425 from January to March, more than double the 5,622 in the same period in 2021.
Meanwhile, Blinken and Mayorkas’ brief stay was opposed by popular movements, which staged various demonstrations denouncing the interventionist policies of those they saw as emissaries of the war.
jha/ga