Regional Protection and Migration Programme

The Americas are facing the highest figures in continental migration in the world: 26 million people migrated from Latin America towards North America. Migration grew a 72% from 2000 to 2020. The second largest migration crisis in the world occurs on the continent: forced displacement from Venezuela amounts to 7.1 million people. Colombia, Peru and Ecuador are the top three host countries with 4.5 million Venezuelans.

Latin America and the Caribbean show alarming levels of violence; the rate of homicides (17.2 per 100’000 people) is the highest recorded in the region. Regionally, around 70% of women have been victims of gender-based violence (GBV) and rates of in-family GBV are higher in Colombia (30%), Ecuador (33%) and Peru (38%) than the world average (27%). Risks are considerably higher for women, girls and LGBTIQ+ persons in mobility. In Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, figures of internal displacement due to conflict and violence, amount to 5.3 million. Armed actors from Colombia and Venezuela are increasingly active in transnational organised crime and have gained unprecedented geographic reach, with Venezuelan networks of trafficking in persons active down to Chile. Political turmoil regularly affects Ecuador and Peru.

Direct beneficiaries:

Female: 22’360

Male: 13’160

Indirect beneficiaries:

36’600 persons (through operational protection work by implementing partners)

753’200 persons (through more protective public policies promoted by technical support of Switzerland) 

Outcome 1)    Persons in human mobility facing immediate protection risks reduce their vulnerability and increase their resilience through enhanced access to protection services.

Outcome 2)    Actors address protection risks through innovations which reduce vulnerable and at-risk persons in human mobility’s vulnerability and increase their resilience.

Outcome 3)    Actors better reduce vulnerability and increase resilience of vulnerable and at-risk persons in human mobility through dissemination of good protection practices.

Outcome 4)    Duty-bearers’ public policies better fulfil rights of vulnerable and at-risk persons in human mobility.

Principaux résultats attendus:  

1.1)    Access to multisectoral protection services has been improved.

1.2)    Local capacities for protection response have been strengthened.

2.1)    Innovation initiatives from private, public and/or civil society actors have been supported.

3.1)    SDC implements knowledge management practices.

3.2)    Swiss proposals enrich dialogue on public protection policies in each country.

4.1)    Swiss proposals enrich regional dialogue on public protection policies

Principaux résultats antérieurs:  

-    Number of migrants and forcibly displaced persons experiencing violence, exploitation and abuse who access protection/rehabilitation services (national and regional);

-    Baseline (2017-2021): 134.231 persons with basic needs attended by humanitarian assistance; 

-    Number of persons subjected to different forms of sexual and gender-based violence having received required (medical, and/or psychosocial, and/or legal) support; Baseline (2017-2021): 4.741 persons whose capacity were strengthened to prevent risks of gender-based violence; 

-    Number of migrants and forcibly displaced persons who gained access to local health, education and other social services; Baseline (2017-2021): 2.681.503 persons.

(figures for Colombia, Ecuador, Peru)

Humanitarian and migration actors:

Community Based Organizations, local organizations, NGOs, the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and United Nations Resident Coordinator’s offices (RCO), Regional and national platforms Response for Venezuelans (R4V), International Organisation for Migration (IOM), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

State migration and cooperation agencies: 

COL: Agencia presidencial de cooperación, Migración, Defensoría del pueblo, alcaldías // PER: Defensoría del pueblo, Unidad de protección especial, Superintendencia de migración, alcaldías // ECU: Cancillería, Vice-Ministerio de Movilidad humana, alcaldías.

Swiss actors: Swiss Representation in Latin America and their migration/protection projects or programmes, Swiss NGOs in protection/migration.

Donors: US Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, ECHO, Spanish cooperation (AECID), Interamerican Development Bank (IDB), Canada, Sweden, German cooperation (GiZ).