What We Do?

WHAT
WE DO?

Origins of
the Quito Process

In September 2018, at the initiative of the government of Ecuador, representatives from 13 countries met in Quito. The main purpose of that meeting was to exchange information on the situation in each country and, incidentally, articulate a regional strategy to address the crisis of Venezuelan refugees and migrants.

The region was experiencing a sustained increase in human mobility from Venezuela, which forced countries to seek solutions. The overflow of the institutional response’s capacity in each countries that received a greater impact on the migratory flow from Venezuela led to the beginning of the Quito Process.

This initiative was born, above all, as a roundtable whose priority was to deepen the mechanisms to serve Venezuelan refugees and migrants, as well as to seek ways to strengthen international financial cooperation and also to generate institutional articulation among member countries.

What is
the Quito Process?

The Quito Process is the name given to the meetings and commitments established between Latin American countries to coordinate the response to the Venezuelan migration crisis.

The first meeting was held in Quito, Ecuador, on September 3rd and 4th, 2018, to "exchange information and good practices, seeking to articulate regional coordination with respect to the migration crisis of Venezuelan citizens in the region."

During the meeting, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay signed the “Quito Declaration on Human Mobility of Venezuelan Citizens in the Region”, an 18-point manifesto of will , which is not mandatory for nations, but urges countries, among other measures, to reinforce reception policies for Venezuelan migrants; coordinate efforts through international organizations; fight discrimination, intolerance and xenophobia; strengthen regulations to promote and respect the rights of migrants; strengthen the role of CAN and MERCOSUR to address the flow of Venezuelan nationals in a comprehensive and coordinated manner; the meeting also issued a call to the Venezuelan government, though they did not attend the meeting, to accept the cooperation of the region’s governments.

Response to the region’s
greater migratory flow

The phenomenon of human mobility of Venezuelan citizens has overwhelmed the institutional response capacity of the countries that have been most impacted by the flow of refugees and migrants, one that goes beyond neighboring countries.

The increase in the flow of Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the region, one of the largest in the world, has challenged the institutional response capacity of the recipient countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. Due to the acute crisis of human mobility from Venezuela, every day the exodus of nationals of that country increases, in what, in addition, constitutes the largest migratory flow in Latin America in the last 50 years

First Declaration of the Quito Process

 

The Quito Declaration, carried out on September 3rd and 4th, 2018, committed the signatories to "accept expired travel documents as identity documents of Venezuelan citizens for immigration purposes", in order to facilitate the movement of people. He also urged Caracas to take the "necessary measures for the timely provision of identity and travel documents for its nationals.”

The Quito Declaration on mobility of Venezuelan citizens in the region was the final product of the meeting of representatives of the Governments of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.

A second meeting was held on November 22 and 23, 2018 to follow up on what was agreed in the “Declaration of Quito” and approve an action plan.

What was the initial Action Plan of the Quito Process?

The action plan approved in the second technical meeting included working in three areas:



1. Regular stay of Venezuelan nationals in the region

Its objective has been to promote measures, in accordance with the legislation of each country, to normalize the migratory status of Venezuelan nationals; the activation of a technological platform to exchange information through coordination between the migration authorities of the countries; the gathering and evaluation of updated information on migration processes; the establishment of procedures and protocols to guarantee the rights of the Venezuelan population in matters of human mobility, especially for those most vulnerable, in a coordinated manner, with the institutions responsible for economic and social inclusion.

2. Regional Cooperation

This approach was born with the objective of conversing with the Venezuelan Government to identify mechanisms of humanitarian assistance for Venezuelan and foreign nationals living in Venezuela. Likewise, it sought to strengthen consular relations between the countries that signed the Declaration of Quito with the intention of diagnosing and evaluating the priority needs of migrants and possible joint actions.

3. International Cooperation

It sought to activate international cooperation on different fronts, through international organizations. Among others, it proposes to establish a regional program for the exchange of information on the migration of Venezuelan citizens; identify possible joint regional actions on issues such as discrimination, intolerance and xenophobia, care for children and adolescents and human trafficking; study the possible financing of multilateral banks for the development of public policies in the short, medium and long term; and study and implement labor insertion policies, among others.

Second chapter of the Quito Process

The Second Technical Meeting was held in November, 2018. There the Action Plan on human mobility of Venezuelan citizens was issued, which included the three areas already mentioned: a) Regular stay of Venezuelan Nationals in the region; b) Regional Cooperation with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and between countries; and c) International Cooperation (UN, CAN / MERCOSUR, OEA, CRM, CSM) with the countries of the region.

Third chapter of the Quito Process

Meeting III of the Quito Process was held on April 8 and 9, 2019, it was held again in the Ecuadorian capital. It addressed the importance of coordination, communication and articulation between the governments of the recipient countries and the importance of international cooperation. Likewise, progress in caring for people in vulnerable situations was recognized. In addition, the countries reaffirmed their commitment to the continuity of the Quito Process. Similarly, the actions taken by the region’s States to grant regular immigration status to Venezuelan citizens were highlighted.

Fourth chapter of the Quito Process

Meeting IV of the Quito Process took place between July 4 and 5, 2019, this time in Buenos Aires. It included some innovations, such as:

  1. The generation of a "Roadmap of the Buenos Aires Chapter,” as well as a Regional Mobility card, Centers for Reception and Assistance to Migrants and Refugees, among other matters.
  2. The creation of the "Group of Friends of the Quito Process,” which includes the European Union, the United States and Canada, in order to provide assistance to the Regional Refugee and Migrants Response Plan (PRRMV).
  3. The organization of a regional workshop for authorities on human trafficking from the member countries of the Quito Process, under the auspices of the IOM. Similarly, it was agreed to analyze the proposal for "Regional Guidelines for the Protection of Refugee Children and Adolescents and Venezuelan Migrants,” presented by UNICEF.
Fifth chapter of the Quito Process

Meeting V of the Quito Process took place in Bogotá, Colombia, between November 12 and 15, 2019. At this meeting, the countries reiterated their concern about the serious migratory and humanitarian crisis Venezuela is going through. Likewise, they called for each of the States, according to their capacities and internal legislation, to implement matters on the exchange of migration information, a Migration Information Card, Orientation and Reception Centers, among other topics.

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay signed the joint declaration at the end of the V International Technical Meeting on Human Mobility of Venezuelan Citizens in the Region.

Sixth chapter of the Quito Process

The VI Technical Meeting of the Quito Process took place in Santiago, Chile, on September 23 and 24, 2020. During the period of the Pro Tempore Presidency of Chile, both the Technical Secretariat and the Group of Friends of the Quito Process were formally established. They carried out two rounds of thematic workshops, one before and one after the Declaration of Santiago. The host country made progress on all the previous issues and proposed new ones, such as the response in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic, and organized the first Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Quito Process, as well as the first meetings of focal points and consular authorities.

The Joint Declaration of Santiago determined to seek more regional cooperation to strengthen state capacities for the assistance and protection of children and adolescents, as well as to continue promoting the principle of family reunification in Venezuelan refugees and migrants. Likewise, it proposed accompanying and facilitating the voluntary repatriation process through coordination among the Member States and the cooperation of the agencies, and ratified the Process's commitment to the right to education, as well as progress in mechanisms for the recognition and validation of studies.

Faced with the issue of HIV / AIDS, the need to update indicators to know the current state of the region was stressed. At the same time, note was taken of the Proposal for a Regional Strategy for Socio-economic Integration, and emphasized on strengthening national capacities in the fight against human trafficking, with the support of specialized international organizations, as well as on increasing the exchange of information and generating a dialogue between CONAREs for the exchange of good practices and procedures for the determination of refugee status.