International

Latin America defends the Cartagena Process on refugees in cases of xenophobia

Authorities of the region, representatives of civil society and international organizations commemorated this Wednesday in Chile the 40th anniversary of the Cartagena Process, a pioneering model of regional collaboration for the protection of refugees, and claimed its importance in the face of the increase in xenophobic discourses and the suspicion of multilateralism.

“We are in a world where the successes of multilateralism are scarce and the international community seems increasingly unable to prevent and resolve conflicts. A world in which mixed movements of refugees and migrants have reached unimaginable figures,” Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said at the ceremony.

In that scenario, Grandi added, “reaching agreements that positively and significantly change the course of history has become difficult,” so – he said – “it is a pleasure and an honor to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the historic Cartagena Declaration on Refugees.”

40th anniversary of the Cartagena Process

Adopted in 1994, the declaration is a technical, legal, political and strategic instrument of cooperation and shared responsibility between Latin American countries to develop solutions and strengthen the international system of protection for refugees, forcibly displaced and stateless persons.

With this adoption, the so-called Cartagena Process began and the concept of refugee stipulated in the 1951 Refugee Statute was expanded.

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“This process that in an innovative, flexible, pragmatic, gradual, cumulative and multi-stakeholder way has created an institutionality that, recognizing the links with international human rights law, plays a crucial role in the protection of displaced persons,” said the secretary of the ECLAC Commission, Luis Fidel Yanez.

From 2004, the creation of common ten-yer action plans were established.

Roadmap for the next decade

Authorities of the region, such as the foreign ministers of Chile, Brazil or Colombia, representatives of civil society and international organizations will debate for two days at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in Santiago, the roadmap for the next 10 years to continue protecting refugees and displaced people.

“Only through cooperation and regional integration will we be able to consolidate the protection of human rights and provide effective responses to the challenges we face,” said Chilean Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren.

Due to various social conflicts, poverty, climate change or natural disasters, thousands of Latin Americans have been forced to migrate in recent years and have plunged the region into a recent unparalleled migration crisis.

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A recent study by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) revealed that up to 7 out of 10 migrants or mobile people in the Americas need comprehensive health services due to their situation.

International

Peruvian presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra dies in campaign road accident

Presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra, representing the Partido de los Trabajadores y Emprendedores (PTE) in Peru, died in a traffic accident while traveling to a campaign event, local authorities confirmed Sunday.

Becerra, who also served as president of the centrist political party, ranked among the lowest in opinion polls in a crowded field of more than 30 candidates competing in the presidential election scheduled for April 12.

Recent surveys place Rafael López Aliaga at the top of voter preferences.

The accident occurred near the town of Ayacucho, in southern Peru, when the vehicle carrying the candidate overturned for reasons that remain under investigation.

“The candidate Becerra has died,” Balvin Huamani, mayor of the district of Pilpichaca, told RPP radio.

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According to Huamani, he personally transported the 61-year-old candidate to a local health center, where doctors confirmed his death.

The Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE) expressed condolences over Becerra’s passing and wished a speedy recovery to the three people who were traveling with him and were injured in the crash.

International

Noboa intensifies anti-cartel crackdown as violence persists in Ecuador

A close ally of Washington, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has pursued a hardline security strategy against cocaine cartels for more than two years, yet homicide, disappearance and extortion rates remain high across the country.

Between Sunday night and the morning of March 31, Ecuador’s armed forces will launch a “very strong offensive” with “advisory support” from the United States, Interior Minister John Reimberg announced Tuesday.

The government has kept details of the operation confidential and has not confirmed whether U.S. troops will be deployed on Ecuadorian soil, as has occurred at times during Noboa’s administration.

As part of the security measures, residents in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and El Oro will be subject to a nightly curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time for the next two weeks.

“We are in a war,” Reimberg said, urging citizens to remain indoors. “Do not take risks. Stay home and allow the security forces and our allies to do the work that must be done.”

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Although Ecuador does not produce cocaine, it has become a major departure point for drugs heading to the United States. Meanwhile, the violence associated with trafficking has increasingly affected the local population.

Bordering the world’s largest cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru, Ecuador has gone from being considered a relatively peaceful country to recording one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America—52 killings per 100,000 inhabitants—according to the **Observatory of Organized Crime.

International

Peruvian presidential candidate proposes death penalty amid crime surge

Peru is facing an unprecedented surge in crime ahead of its presidential election scheduled for April 12, with violence fueled by extortion networks and a wave of contract killings linked to organized crime.

Police data show that 2,200 homicides tied to organized crime were recorded in 2025, while extortion complaints increased by 19%, underscoring the growing security crisis in the South American nation.

Amid this backdrop, presidential candidate Álvarez has proposed reinstating the death penalty if elected, arguing that extreme measures are needed to curb the violence.

To implement the proposal, Álvarez said Peru would withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights—also known as the Pact of San José—which the country signed in 1978. The agreement prevents member states that have abolished capital punishment from reinstating it.

Currently, Peruvian law only allows the death penalty in cases of treason during wartime.

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“We have to leave the Pact of San José and apply the death penalty in Peru because those miserable criminals don’t deserve to live,” Álvarez told AFP during a campaign stop at a market in Callao, the port city neighboring Lima.

“An iron fist against those criminals,” he added, proposing to declare hitmen as military targets.

During the campaign event, Álvarez walked through stalls selling vegetables, groceries, and fish, greeting vendors while musicians played cumbia music nearby.

The 62-year-old candidate, who spent more than four decades working in television as a comedian, is a newcomer to politics and is running for president under the País para Todos party.

Polls place him fifth in voter preference with nearly 4% support in a fragmented race featuring 36 candidates.