In 2018, during a severe political and social crisis in Nicaragua, Ana Valle was forced to move to Mexico in search of asylum. Today, she is Head of the Projects Department of the University Program for City Studies at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and, on an honorary basis, Chair of Asociación de Nicaragüenses en México (the Association of Nicaraguans in Mexico).
Since her arrival in Mexico, the number of people fleeing Nicaragua has increased in the country, highlighting the growing need for support and assistance for these newcomers. What began as a small aid collective through social networks soon evolved into the Association of Nicaraguans in Mexico, which was formally constituted as a Civil Association in September 2021. From its inception, the women-led organization has worked to facilitate the integration and inclusion of Nicaraguans and other communities in Mexico, in addition to serving as a humanitarian channel to ensure access to reliable information. Despite facing numerous obstacles—including limited access to education, banking services, and travel documents, as well as increasingly restrictive migration and asylum policies in both the U.S. and Mexico—refugees have turned their pain and challenges into opportunities by establishing Refugee and Forcibly Displaced-Led Organizations (RLOs), creating spaces of support, empowerment, and advocacy for their communities.
Being an RLO in the region offers a significant advantage over other civil society organizations, according to Ana. This advantage comes not only from the lived experience of refugees themselves but also from their deep understanding and expertise in the cause. Ana stresses the importance of these organizations being recognized as key actors to “propose public policy strategies that allow for long-term sustainable solutions”. She warns that the main challenge for the effective participation of refugees is the lack of political will of States to involve them in decision-making processes and in the design of public policies. During her participation in the second Global Refugee Forum in 2023, Ana noticed the scarce focus on the regional challenges facing Latin America across events. This highlighted the urgent need, in her view, to foster a real and effective participation of refugees in the region.
In 2024, the Cartagena +40 process was launched, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Cartagena Declaration on Refugees, adopted in 1984. The goal of this process was to create a new regional strategic plan, culminating in the Chile Declaration and Plan of Action 2024-2034. Throughout the process, three key thematic consultations were held: one in Mexico City (Mexico), another in Brasilia (Brazil), and the last in Bogota (Colombia). Following the first consultation in Mexico, Ana, together with other refugee leaders, succeeded in establishing the Grupo Articulador de Organizaciones Lideradas por Personas Refugiadas y Desplazadas Forzadas (GARLOS), a network that currently brings together more than 240 RLO in the region.
Thanks to the efforts of GARLOS, it was possible to ensure the participation of these organizations at the decision-making tables, where the proposals were developed collectively, integrating not only displaced persons from Latin America, but also from other continents. Ana emphasizes that the Cartagena +40 process and the Chile Action Plan was a historic milestone because for the first time RLOs participated in the process, stating:
“This allows us to contribute as key allies, recognizing our condition as a heterogeneous population, with diverse competencies, technical capacities and lived experiences in the problems being addressed. The Cartagena+40 process showed that the participation of RLOs in these spaces can strengthen strategies and contribute to identifying long-term sustainable solutions.”
However, the participation of RLO and refugee leaders in Latin America goes beyond the Cartagena+40 process. In Mexico, for instance, the Dialogue Mechanism between RLOs and UNHCR (MERLOS) has established itself as a key platform for meaningful refugee participation. Its goal is to influence public policies that promote the protection and full inclusion of people in need of international protection in Mexico. Through this mechanism, a mapping of RLOs in the country was conducted, which helped organize their participation in the first consultation meeting of the Cartagena+40 process, held in Mexico. In addition, the Asociación de Nicaragüenses en México, along with other organizations, has played a key role in expanding opportunities for refugee participation in government spaces. These organizations are part of the Refugee Spokespersons Committee within the Quadripartite Mechanism for the Protection of Refugees and Individuals with Complementary Protection, led by the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR). Through this space, they were able to present a proposal to the Federal Government’s 2024–2030 National Development Plan, with a focus on international protection.
For this participation to become a sustainable and effective practice in the region, Ana highlights capacity-building as an ongoing priority, both in local and international regulatory frameworks and in key skills to facilitate advocacy to strengthen the leadership of refugees and RLOs. She stresses that this capacity-building should support not only advocacy with policymakers but also efforts to reach the general public, especially in contexts where anti-migrant and anti-refugee sentiments are widespread.
Ana also emphasizes that self-care is fundamental, both at the individual and organizational level. “We are a vulnerable group, exposed to situations that can evoke aspects of our own experience,” she says. Ana also emphasizes the necessity of quality funding, stating “It is necessary to find sources of funding that allow RLOs to operate in a self-sustainable way, without relying exclusively on international cooperation,” as a crucial recommendation.
Meaningful refugee participation provides a unique opportunity to propose innovative solutions for issues that directly impact their lives and those of host communities. The Cartagena +40 process created new opportunities for more meaningful participation in the region. While its long-term impact remains to be seen, this moment highlighted the important work of refugee advocates and RLOs in continuing to advocate for participation that is not just tokenistic, but truly sustainable and transformative.
To learn more about Ana’s work, visit:
Website: https://nicasmex.org/