UN General Assembly
2021

Another challenge that many nations are facing is irregular migration, a long-standing and persistent phenomenon that we cannot ignore. More than 80,000 irregular migrants have crossed Panamanian territory so far in 2021. That figure represents exponential growth. To highlight how dramatic the situation is, Panama went from receiving 800 migrants in January of this year to 30,000 just last month. The majority of those migrants originate from the Caribbean and Africa and have traversed several countries under difficult conditions. Our country, responsibly and with respect for human rights, treats the migrants with dignity and provides them with temporary shelter, medical assistance and food for the first time on their journey. We have dedicated a significant portion of our very limited resources to those tasks. Panama is doing its part. We urge the international community to make a united effort as soon as possible, using coordinated strategies and resources, to forestall a regional humanitarian crisis of serious proportions. That is the responsibility of us all, and it is an urgent one. We hear many speeches, including some very thoughtful ones, but we avoid moving from speeches to concrete actions.