Due to insufficient funding, UNHCR could only support a small part of the targeted population with cash and livelihood initiatives. Moreover, lack of resources hindered UNHCR’s ability to develop more specialized programs on digital literacy, electronic commerce, as well as the acquisition of adequate equipment permitting the population to develop income-generating avenues using these tools.
The length and uncertainty over the asylum process continued to affect asylum-seekers, particularly at a time of limited access to fixed and secure sources of income. Despite progress made during lockdown periods, additional funding would have further expedited the asylum procedure, with additional, stronger and trained staff and the necessary technical equipment for registration and documentation.
Though UNHCR donated 750 tablets to children and adolescents to help them continue their school work, other children were unable to access virtual platforms while schools remain closed.
Moreover, UNHCR was only able to undertake partial protection monitoring with limited capacity to conduct remote high frequency surveys, efficient border monitoring and coordination on the response to mixed movements.
Field missions are expensive and partner staff are not permanently present. With additional funding, community-based initiatives might have improved the response to the needs of the population of concern, in particular in remote areas in Darién.
Shelters, protective equipment and water and sanitation conditions could have been scaled up with more resources, to support highly vulnerable people among mixed movements in Darien.