The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Government of the Republic of Guatemala, through the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MINTRAB by its acronym in Spanish) will collaborate to facilitate the labor inclusion in the Central American country of refugees and asylum-seekers, according to an agreement signed by both institutions.
The project "Facilitation of labor inclusion of asylum seekers and refugees in Guatemala" will be implemented between 2024 and 2025 with funding from the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework Fund (MIRPS Fund), established within the OAS and administered by its Department of Social Inclusion.
With the implementation of this project, improvements will be made in the Electronic Platform of Work Permits for Foreigners (PEX by its acronym in Spanish), as well as the modernization of the work permit process. It will directly benefit all refugees and asylum seekers using the services offered by MINTRAB, enabling their labor and socioeconomic inclusion.
The initiative is part of the first portfolio of projects of the MIRPS Fund, launched with the pioneering contribution of Spain.
The agreement signing event was attended by the Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, Miriam Roquel Chávez; the Vice Minister of Social Welfare and Employment, María Victoria Peneleu; on behalf of the OAS General Secretariat in Guatemala, Dacia Aragón; the Ambassador of Spain in Guatemala, María Clara Girbau; the Representative of UNHCR in Guatemala, the UN Refugee Agency, Besem Obenson; and the Regional Coordinator of the MIRPS Fund, Melissa Pocasangre Mijango.
About the MIRPS Fund:
The MIRPS Fund is the specific fund of voluntary contributions of the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS for its acronym in Spanish) to Forced Displacement in Central America and Mexico. The Fund is administered by the Department of Social Inclusion of the General Secretariat of the OAS, which also provides support and technical assistance to the projects.
The objective of the MIRPS Fund is to allow the 7 MIRPS countries (Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama) to comply with the commitments acquired within the framework of this process, responding from a shared responsibility approach. to the challenges posed by forced displacement in this region, in order to protect and improve the living conditions of people who have been forced to move and the communities that host them.
About MIRPS:
The Comprehensive Regional Framework for Protection and Solutions (MIRPS) is an innovative mechanism for the implementation in Central America and Mexico of the Global Compact on Refugees to facilitate regional cooperation between countries of origin, transit and destination for greater shared responsibility in matters of prevention, protection and lasting solutions. The MIRPS Technical Secretariat is made up of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the OAS, through its Department of Social Inclusion.
