From Safety to Fresh Starts: UN Refugee Chief Calls for Opportunity in Latin America

Salih’s meeting with Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori covered inclusion, continued solidarity with displaced people and lasting solutions, including voluntary, safe and dignified return to Venezuela.

A job that helps a family regain its independence, a school that gives a displaced child room to grow, and the documents needed to rebuild life after returning home were at the heart of UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih's seven-day visit to Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. His message recognised Latin America's enduring leadership in welcoming people forced to flee and called for sustained investment, practical action and strong partnerships to turn that protection into opportunities for displaced people, returnees and the communities receiving them.

The visit reflected UNHCR's 50 by 35 vision, which seeks to help refugees in prolonged displacement move beyond dependence on humanitarian aid through greater independence and lasting solutions by 2035. For Salih, access to documentation, education and employment gives people the means to use the skills and ambitions they carry with them, support their families and contribute to their communities.

Mexico connects refugee protection with working lives

In Mexico, Salih met Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez and Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco, recognising the government's commitment to refugee protection and progress on México Integra, a government-led strategy built on more than a decade of refugee integration efforts. He addressed the Senate on protection and inclusion and welcomed Mexico City Head of Government Clara Brugada's signing of The Promise, placing these commitments within a wider conversation about helping refugees establish secure lives.

Visits to companies in Aguascalientes brought those commitments into the workplace, where Salih spoke with refugee employees about the opportunities created through cooperation between government, businesses and refugees themselves. Their experiences illustrated how access to employment can connect the safety people find in a host country with the income, confidence and sense of belonging needed to build a future there.

Peru puts education and inclusion at the centre

Salih's meeting with Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori covered inclusion, continued solidarity with displaced people and lasting solutions, including voluntary, safe and dignified return to Venezuela. Discussions with the Director of the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics focused on cooperation around data, which can give decision-makers a clearer understanding of people's circumstances and help shape policies that respond to their needs.

A Protection Space and a UNHCR-supported school offered a closer look at efforts to strengthen protection and inclusion in everyday life. Salih described education as something that reaches beyond classroom lessons, giving young people the tools, confidence and opportunities to make decisions about their futures, a message that linked Peru's practical work with the wider need to help displaced families regain control over their lives.

Venezuela's recovery brings the challenges of return into focus

In Venezuela, Salih met President Delcy Rodríguez, the Foreign Minister and the Vice Minister for Multilateral Affairs to discuss earthquake recovery, the return and sustainable reintegration of Venezuelans, and a renewed roadmap for cooperation. In La Guaira, the state hardest hit by the 24 June earthquakes, he met the Governor and affected communities and learned about recovery efforts, including UNHCR's support for a new Multiservice Centre bringing social programmes and humanitarian partners together.

In Petare, Caracas, Salih met Andriuska, a young Venezuelan rebuilding her life after returning from Ecuador, whose experience brought a personal dimension to the discussions about reintegration. He stressed that coming home requires documentation, safety, services and opportunities, because crossing a border begins another stage of rebuilding. Across the three countries, his call was for political commitment, sustained investment and partnerships that make those opportunities accessible, giving people the chance to put down roots and shape their own futures.