By: Staff writer
June 24, 2025
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in their Global Report, 2024 that El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are facing a protection crisis driven by violence, inequality, and climate shocks, resulting in protracted and new displacement.
The report also said that the UNHCR HCR worked with UN agencies, NGOs, government institutions and over 100 partners, including local organizations and networks, to provide life-saving humanitarian support within the frameworks of the Humanitarian Response Plans (HRP) in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. UNHCR provided training on refugee law and referral pathways among frontline staff, including police, migration, and health care workers, to ensure people in need of protection could be identified and could access asylum procedures. UNHCR also supported the identification and referral of cases.
While some areas – particularly El Salvador – have seen improvements in security, widespread violence, gender-based abuse, poverty, and the growing impacts of climate change continue to force people to flee their homes across the subregion. Nearly 320,000 people are internally displaced, and tens of thousands more seek asylum or refuge in neighboring countries.
The report also said: “Across the region, UNHCR continued to ensure a protection-centered response and to coordinate efforts among national and local governments, international organizations, civil society, community organizations, and displaced populations. UNHCR led the Protection sectors in all three countries, co-led Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) in Guatemala, and co-led CCCM and Shelter Sectors in El Salvador.
“UNHCR supported the efforts of Protection Clusters and Sectors in improving the analysis of protection risks and increasing visibility of the needs of forcibly displaced people in the region with data and analysis to support evidence-based decision making.”
UNHCR is working across El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to protect people displaced by violence, persecution, and climate shocks. In coordination with governments, UN agencies, and over 100 partners, UNHCR provides life-saving assistance, legal aid, mental health support, and livelihoods programmes to help displaced people rebuild their lives.
In 2024 alone, UNHCR supported over 28,000 people through mobile units and assistance centres in Guatemala, provided cash and emergency shelter to thousands of at-risk individuals in Honduras, and strengthened reception conditions at 15 shelters hosting 2,500 people monthly. Specialized services reached survivors of gender-based violence, while community-based peacebuilding initiatives promoted long-term integration and resilience.
Across the subregion, UNHCR also trains frontline workers, supports asylum systems, and advocates for durable solutions and the protection of vulnerable groups, including women, children, and returnees.