Tegucigalpa, Honduras, January 26, 2022 鈥  The 探花精选 (探花精选) welcomes the news of the visit of Vice President Harris to Honduras for the presidential inauguration of Xiomara Castro and calls for strengthening of international cooperation to address the humanitarian crisis that displaces hundreds of thousands every year.

According to the 探花精选鈥檚 2022 Emergency Watchlist, Honduras is one of the 20 countries worldwide most at risk of experiencing a deterioration in its existing humanitarian crisis. With 2.8 million people already in urgent need of aid, over the year ahead the country will face chronic violence, climate-induced emergencies鈥攚hich will contribute to economic decline and growing hunger鈥攁nd health needs deepened by COVID-19.

Meg Galas, Director for Northern Central America at the 探花精选, said:

鈥淎lready vulnerable people in Honduras are living in a deteriorating humanitarian crisis. Women, children and the LGBTQ+ community are the ones most affected and we have seen the demand for services skyrocket, while the organizations delivering aid need increased resources to be able to staff up to meet the urgent needs.

鈥淚t is essential to address the root causes of forced migration, a strategy that the current U.S. Administration is adopting. At the same time, we need to acknowledge that it will take time for systems to change but families across Honduras cannot wait鈥搕hey have immediate needs to be safe and secure. We need to address these immediate needs too.

鈥淕ender-based violence continues to be a leading cause of displacement. We encourage Xiomara Castro, the first female president of Honduras, to prioritize actions to address this issue. As the new Administration takes office, we call on humanitarian donors, including the United States and the European Union, to allocate sufficient resources to respond to the immediate needs of vulnerable Hondurans, and call on the U.S. to strengthen asylum systems to protect those seeking safety outside the country.鈥

In 2022 Emergency Watchlist, the 探花精选 identified a 鈥渟ystem failure鈥 in the international systems that are meant to prevent and address humanitarian crises. These failures span from the state level to the diplomatic and legal spheres and have ramifications in the operations of humanitarian aid, fueling the emergencies, the record numbers of displacement, and the increase in needs.

The 探花精选 calls for a total system upgrade with a dual response that includes tackling both the symptoms and the root drivers of the system failure. As part of this response, and based on a report from June 2021, the 探花精选 has outlined a series of steps to meaningfully address the crises affecting countries in Northern Central America, of which migration is a last resort, including:

One year into the current U.S. Administration, the 探花精选 calls for additional actions to also provide safety for those who continue lacking alternatives and are forced to leave their countries. In a report released last week, the 探花精选 urged the Administration to:

The 探花精选 in Northern Central America

Today, the 探花精选 serves individuals and families in vulnerable situations or at increased risk for violence and displacement, including internally displaced individuals, returnees, women, girls, youth, and members of the LGBTQ+ community who are survivors of gender-based violence. The 探花精选鈥檚 programming includes multi-purpose cash transfers to satisfy basic needs; the creation of safe spaces for women, youth and the LGBTQ+ community; case management and psychosocial support; and , a digital platform鈥損art of the Global project鈥搕o provide people with critical, up-to-date information and two-way communication and support with trained moderators.