Visit of Janez LenarčIč, European Commissioner, to Panama

On October 12 and 13, 2022, Janez Lenarčič, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, traveled to Panama City and Lajas Blancas, in Panama. On the first day, Janez Lenarčič participated in the event of the Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants (R4V) for the launch of the Refugee and Migrant Needs Analysis (RMNA), concerning the needs of refugees and migrants from Venezuela. The EU is providing humanitarian aid of 77 million euros – 33 million euros in new funds – to support the most vulnerable residents of Venezuela, given that the displacement crisis in Venezuela is the largest in modern Latin American history. Later, he inaugurated the new regional office of the EU for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) and met with representatives of the Government of Panama, as well as UN agencies and humanitarian organizations active in the field.
On the second day, Janez Lenarčič visited the Migrant Reception Center in Lajas Blancas, in Panama’s Darien province, one of the most dangerous migration routes in Latin America. The EU supports UNICEF, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in providing basic care to vulnerable refugees, asylum seekers, and people on the move. Later, he participated in the inauguration of a Regional Supply Hub with an official from the Government of Panama.