Exploring a common agenda for peace in the Americas
Exploring a common agenda for peace in the Americas

Participants of the third regional Dialogue on Local Solutions Towards Peaceful Coexistence, focusing on the Americas, in Costa Rica, April 2025
The third regional Dialogue on Local Solutions Towards Peaceful Coexistence, focusing on the Americas, was hosted in Costa Rica in April 2025 by the University of Peace and UNHCR, with the support of the King Hamad Global Centre for Coexistence and Tolerance. It brought together over 60 organizations to exchange on the role that refugees, migrants and displaced indigenous communities are playing in grassroots peacebuilding initiatives. Participants welcomed the opportunity to unite, emphasizing that peacebuilding must begin before conflicts end and continue throughout recovery, highlighting the meaningful participation of those directly affected by displacement.
Costa Rica maintains an open-door policy, hosting more than 194,000 Nicaraguan asylum-seekers and over 9,200 recognized Nicaraguan refugees, accounting for over half of all displaced Nicaraguans worldwide. The Government of Costa Rica spoke about how vital the cross-border alliances with countries in the region were to coordinate the overwhelmed national asylum system, describing how the Strategy to Enhance the Asylum System, a pledge made at the Global Refugee Forum 2023, is structured in three working pillars. It addresses capacity strengthening, improving processes, and protecting rights. As the Vice Minister noted, over 3,000 people continue to arrive in Costa Rica each month. "All the progress we make is not perceived as such, because people keep arriving which has an immediate impact on people’s lives. A lack of documentation remains the first and most pressing barrier they face".
Despite being the most affected, forcibly displaced people can be excluded from decision-making forums. Yet, their lived experiences and community connections make them invaluable contributors to peacebuilding processes. Mr. Roberto Blanco, Project Director of Alianza Vencr, an RLO assisting Venezuelan migrants and refugees, spoke on refugee-led organizations' contributions: "The inclusion of refugees and displaced persons in public policies, incorporating their voices in formulating public policies, can highlight and result in more effective solutions adjusted to the realities."
Refugees also bring skills—a point emphasized by several organizations, including SOS Nicaragua, IRCA Casa Abierta, Nicaragua Nunca Más, and the Costa Rican Red Cross Society. There is a broad consensus among civil society actors that the contributions of refugees extend beyond their needs, offering practical knowledge and expertise. For example, Mr. Jim Bartres of the Costa Rican Red Cross Society shared how migrants and refugees supported efforts to manage a dengue fever and chikungunya outbreak. He described their contribution: "We have a shelter where we host Cuban migrants who are experts in vector management, and they effectively carried out fumigation and mosquito control efforts across Puntarenas."
The Americas’ Dialogue underlined the issues facing displaced Indigenous communities. Leaders from Prilaka highlighted the challenges faced: "It is important to talk about the discrimination suffered by indigenous populations because of their language, because of their skin colour, in they not only suffer discrimination just because they are Nicaraguan. Situations of discrimination have been manifested in workplaces in which they are prohibited from using their language, including in educational spaces, where children are limited in using their language for fear of being discriminated against."
With displacement at historic levels and top donors reducing their funding, participants grappling with an uncertain future emphasized the necessity of investing in collaborative, locally driven solutions that address urgent and long-term needs. Mrs. Alejandra Moreira, from Accenture, highlighted the private sector’s responsibility: "We have managed to hire from the refugee population, and we are still interested in hiring the refugee population." Mr. Randall Brenes, Officer of Governance and Human Development at UNDP, called for bridging the gap between humanitarian responses and long-term development by building the capacity of local governments: "We need to build the capacities of local governments to implement public policies. It is a collective work, which is fundamental." He also highlighted the vital role of women: "It is critical that women participate meaningfully in decision-making spaces at the community level."
Mr César Ramírez, a former refugee representing the Costa Rican Chamber of Commerce, highlighted the importance of opportunity and financial inclusion: "I believe that companies understand the value of hiring refugees for their talent, capacity, and resilience. They bring a high dose of stability, resilience, affectivity, and agility, making it possible to create a contract with greater durability in commerce."
Ms. Ruven Menikdiwela, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, commended the open-door policy of the Costa Rican Government and reflected on how the Dialogue demonstrated the whole-of-society approach called for by the Global Compact on Refugees, bringing together actors from governments, faith-based organizations and UN sister agencies, to the private sector and refugee-led organizations (RLOs). She stressed how key this approach is: "As only enhanced coordination between humanitarian, development, and peace actors can address both immediate needs and the root causes of displacement." She said: "Peace remains the most durable solution, but achieving it requires a collaborative, multi-sectoral approach that includes affected communities as full partners".
Reflecting on the funding cuts, Karla Guzman from Defence for Children, said: "We need to be more creative, to begin to talk more among ourselves, to get more involved, to support each other more, because there are fewer and fewer resources, fewer possibilities, less personnel, and that does not mean that there are fewer needs of the population."
The theme emerging from all three Dialogues held so far, in Africa, the Americas, and Europe, is that maintaining peace requires constant effort and commitment. Dr. Francisco Rojas Aravena, Rector of the University of Peace, called the Dialogue an example of working for peace. Rabbi Abraham Skorka, representing the King Hamad Global Centre for Coexistence and Tolerance, concluded: "Peace must be built."
Mr. Jhoswel Martínez, President of the Intercultural and Human Rights Association, ASIDEHU, a refugee-led organization that assists Nicaraguan asylum-seekers and refugees, highlighted what we have in common: "Our message from all our spaces is that we need to create and help each other grow together, without distinction of origin and in the search for coexistence. We are human beings. That is the main message we give."