Guatemala City conference: nearly 2 million Central Americans to get refugee aid.

Guatemala City Conference

A three-year programme to aid nearly 2 million Central American refugees, displaced persons and returnees was unanimously adopted by the 56 Governments attending the International Conference on Central American Refugees (Guatemala City, 29-31 May).

In an accompanying Declaration, participating States recognized that solutions to the refugee problem were an integral part of the effort for peace, democracy and development in the region.

The "Concerted Plan of Action" links aid to affected populations to the region's economic and social development objectives.

Each of the seven countries directly involved in the plan of action-Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua--presented at the Conference their own national projects to deal with the populations in distress. Preliminary estimates put the total cost at $380 million.

The Conference, which was also attended by representatives from 61 intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, was organized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in co-operation with the Governments of the seven countries and the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

Plan of Action

The Plan of Action commits countries to stress voluntary repatriation in conditions of security and dignity, nondiscrimination for those having sought asylum, and free choice of destination in their countries for refugees, as well as freedom of movement and free choice of place of residence under the same conditions as other nationals of their countries.

National efforts under the Plan would guarantee access of returnees to means of subsistence and to land under the same conditions as other nationals of their countries and respect for their cultural and ethnic values.

All parties involved in the repatriation process agreed to respect the humanitarian and nonpolitical character of international assistance in favour of voluntary repatriation. Countries also agreed to continue to respect the work of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in favour of returnees and his ability to have access to them.

They would aim at regularizing the situation of returnees with regard to the delivery of identity documents and the registry of births, marriages and deaths, and other events occurring in the country of asylum and relating to their civil status.

They would also provide access to citizenship for children of returnees born abroad as well as for foreign spouses, when they so desire, and facilitate the recognition of studies undertaken in the country of asylum.

Projects presented at the Conference in the context of the Plan of Action aim at the reintegration of 21,000 people in El Salvador, 33,500 in Guatemala, and 66,000 in Nicaragua. But in some cases, refugees will be integrated in the countries of asylum. Costa Rica, for example, plans to integrate into its labour market some 20,000 urban and semi-urban refugees. Another 10,000 will benefit from less overcrowding in refugee camps. In El Salvador, some 1,500 will be socially and economically integrated.

The number of internally displaced Central Americans is much greater than that of refugees. The Plan of Action foresees, at this point, full assistance for 43,000 such persons in El Salvador and 90,000 others in Nicaragua, as well as basic assistance to some 12,500 in Guatemala.

Externally displaced persons will also be helped. One massive programme in Cosa Rica will aid 100,000; another will assist 37,000 in Honduras.

National committees will coordinate the plan of action at the country level. A "follow-up committee" of the Conference will meet once a year to evaluate what has been accomplished. The United Nations--mostly through UNHCR and UNDP--will support all these activities.