Multi-stakeholder pledges - Regional

Multistakeholder Pledge: MIRPS - Integration

Key outcome

Commitments that form part of this multi-stakeholder pledge will contribute to the expansion of opportunities for integration, through initiatives that promote employment, livelihoods, entrepreneurship, and inclusion in national social protection systems, among others, along with host communities and key partners such as the private sector.

Background

The MIRPS is a concrete application of the Global Compact on Refugees in the Americas, which encourages regional cooperation among countries of origin, transit, and destination for greater responsibility sharing in matters of prevention, protection and durable solutions. MIRPS States include Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Panama. 

The MIRPS Support Platform was launched in December 2019 on the occasion of the first Global Refugee Forum. It supports the efforts of the MIRPS countries in offering protection and solutions to forced displacement in Central America and Mexico, and serves as a mechanism for greater responsibility sharing, as called for in the Global Compact on Refugees. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Organization of American States (OAS) jointly form the Secretariat for the MIRPS and the MIRPS Support Platform.

The MIRPS Working Group on Jobs and Livelihoods is led by Costa Rica, with the participation of all MIRPS States. The Working Group promotes and advocates for progress against the commitments within the MIRPS National Action Plans related to labor market access and professional training, while also creating public-private partnerships to generate job opportunities and promote awareness campaigns regarding working conditions of forcibly displaced persons. 

Pledge description

In support of the Mega-Pledge on Economic Inclusion and Social Protection, and in the framework of the MIRPS Working Group on Jobs and Livelihoods, the MIRPS countries commit to promoting the self-reliance of refugees and other displaced or stateless communities by facilitating access to decent work and entrepreneurship, through the employability mechanisms of involved government institutions;  national legislation and relevant policies; and by facilitating the recognition of competencies, knowledge and skills, with the support and assistance of the members of the MIRPS Support Platform, and in partnership with the private sector and civil society.

Leadership

Developed within the MIRPS Working Group on Jobs and Livelihoods, led by Costa Rica, and the Government of Panama as the 2023 MIRPS Pro-tempore Presidency.