“Darién is not a route and cannot be” – Chancellor

Panama asked the G77+China summit in Havana for greater “coordination” to execute “effective and realistic migration policies” that guarantee the human rights of the hundreds of thousands of people who cross the Darien jungle.

Panamanian Foreign Minister Janaina Tewaney asked the delegations that their governments also address “the causes” – such as violence and climate change – that lead to “irregular”, “disorganized” and “uncoordinated” migration.

“The result of this humanitarian crisis is mainly human suffering and should not be ignored (…) For Panama, the effects of this crisis are seen daily in our Darién National Park, bordering Colombia, a dense jungle where we find every day migrants who die on their dangerous journey,” she warned.

“Darién is not a route and it cannot be,” the chancellor said.

According to Tewaney, this year alone Panama expects between 400,000 and 500,000 people to cross the plug on their way to the United States and that, so far this year, the country has received four times more migrants than in a five-year period.

At the beginning of the month, Panama announced a package of measures to confront the migration crisis in Darién, such as increasing deportations and moving the checkpoints where travelers arrive.

The G77+China summit in Havana has brought together presidents such as the Argentine Alberto Fernández and the Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro, as well as the Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres.

The event represents, according to many experts, a diplomatic success for Havana.

The G77+China is the largest dialogue and consultation group within the United Nations. It currently has 134 members, mainly from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.