SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — The strengthening of Costa Rica’s Refugee Unit has contributed to improving the assistance provided to more than 32,000 asylum seekers during the first year of operation of the modernised platform. This was achieved through a more orderly, timely, and vulnerability-sensitive response, within the framework of a project implemented by Costa Rica’s General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners (DGME), financed by the government of Spain through the MIRPS Fund and supported by the department of access to rights of the GS/OAS.
The project was implemented in a context of significant pressure on the asylum system and focused on reviewing and optimising service delivery flows from the very first point of contact with asylum seekers. These improvements helped strengthen institutional capacity to identify vulnerability profiles at an early stage, appropriately refer cases, and move forward in reducing accumulated delays in service provision, indirectly benefiting all individuals accessing the refugee system.
The results achieved have an impact both on those assisted during the implementation period and on the broader population of asylum seekers entering the system each year—estimated at more than 30,000 annually—who now benefit from clearer, more accessible, and more efficient processes.
The achievements of the project were presented during a virtual results presentation event that brought together national authorities, technical teams, and representatives of the international cooperation community.
Ambassador Carmen Montón, permanent observer representative of Spain to the OAS, stated: “Today’s event once again highlights Spain’s firm commitment to the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS) and to the region. We are convinced that only through coordinated efforts among States, civil society, and international organisations can effective and sustainable responses to the challenges of forced displacement be achieved, and progress be made toward truly humane and transformative human mobility.”
Cindy Molina Mora, head of the refugee unit, emphasised that improving institutional processes allows for more appropriate assistance to asylum seekers with specific needs, including those in situations of heightened vulnerability, noting that “it primarily involves rethinking processes, service delivery flows, and the organisation of spaces based on the realities of the population being served. In this sense, the early identification of vulnerability profiles has become a key pillar for providing more efficient, but also more humane, responses.”
Claudia Gonzalez Bengoa, representing the OAS Department of Access to Rights, underscored the importance of investing in institutional processes as a central component of protection responses:
“The MIRPS Fund was designed precisely to support countries in these types of efforts, strengthening institutional capacities and promoting solutions that can be sustained over time. In this regard, this project represents an important step toward modernizing service delivery spaces and processes, and toward a stronger and more coordinated state response.”
The project was financed by the government of Spain through the MIRPS Fund, a mechanism that supports States in the region in strengthening their capacities to respond to challenges related to the protection of asylum seekers, using a human rights–based approach.
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