Inter-institutional Roundtables on Refuge and Complementary Protection

The main objective of the Inter-institutional Roundtable on Refuge and Complementary Protection is to identify the gaps faced by people in need of international protection at the federal level. The roundtables are made up of federal agencies, civil society organizations and international organizations. Four thematic roundtables have been organized: labor inclusion, educational inclusion, identity and documentation, and access to health services.

This exercise is replicated at the state and municipal levels, in the areas of health, education, employment, and identity and documentation, with the aim of ensuring the integration of the population in need of international protection into local communities.

Location

Mexico (at Federal, State and Municipal levels)

Duration

Since July 4, 2019 andh as been in session at the federal, state and municipal levels.

Results

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The Inter-institutional Roundtable on Shelter and Complementary Protection of the MIRPS and the local Roundtables, established to promote public policies on integration for refugees at the local level, have continued efforts of coordination with different authorities, and strengthening inter-institutional and multi-level coordination. As a result of the local roundtables, coordination at the local level has expanded to 9 states in the northern, southern and central border regions of the country: Chiapas, Baja California, Veracruz, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Coahuila, Jalisco, Campeche, Nuevo Leon and a municipality in Palenque, Chiapas. This coordination structure has allowed for follow-up work at the state and municipal levels on labor inclusion, health, education, and access to identity and documentation.

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Employment
It has been possible to make visible among the member institutions the need to facilitate procedures to make employment opportunities more accessible to refugees and asylum-seekers. Likewise, a dialogue was formalized between federal authorities, international and civil society organizations, aimed to make services and procedures for labor inclusion more accessible for applicants for refugee status, beneficiaries of complementary protection and refugees.

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Education
As part of Mexico’s commitment at the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) to offer complementary pathways to resettlement through higher education in coordination between COMAR, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the civil association DIMA (Habesha), a first group of young Afghans with international protection needs were received and the process of selecting students from countries in the Latin American region began.

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Health
Work is underway to establish coordination mechanisms to support refugees with mental health care needs.

Lead Entity and Partners

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The Interinstitutional Roundtable on Refuge and Complementary Protection at the Federal level is chaired by the Undersecretary of Human Rights, Population and Migration of the Ministry of the Interior, with the COMAR acting as Technical Secretariat.

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At the local level, the roundtables are chaired by the person designated by the State Government and the Technical Secretariat is in charge of the COMAR Representative Office where the roundtable is located.

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For the Thematic Roundtables, the coordinating authorities are the following:

Thematic Table on Educational Inclusion: Ministry of Public Education
Thematic Table on Access to Health: Ministry of Health
Thematic Table on Labor Inclusion: National Employment Service (STPS)
Thematic Table on Identity and Documentation: National Population Registry

Linked MIRPS Commitment

Continue with the institutional strengthening of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR), through the processing of applications for refugee recognition, as well as inter-institutional coordination that allows for the efficient integration of refugees into Mexican society.

COMAR will replicate at the state and municipal level the Inter-Institutional Roundtables on Refuge and Complementary Protection in order to identify the gaps faced by the population in need of international protection and promote access to public services and programs.

COMAR replicará a nivel estatal y municipal las Mesas Interinstitucionales sobre Refugio y Protección Complementaria a fin identificar las brechas a las que se enfrenta la población con necesidad de protección internacional y promoverán el acceso a servicios y programas públicos.