Original: Spanish CHAPTER SEVEN Regional Cooperation The Cartagena +30 commemorative process has reaffirmed the commitment to consolidate regional integration and has made a collective call to deepen levels of coordination, complementarity, cooperation and convergence among regional and subregional integration mechanisms, including those related to migration, refugees, displaced and stateless persons. States highlighted the advisability of including the themes discussed within the Cartagena +30 process in the agendas of the Regional Conference on Migration, the South American Conference on Migration and the MERCOSUR Specialized Forum on Migration. In addition, the subregional consultations highlighted the programmes carried out within the framework of CARICOM, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), the Andean Community, MERCOSUR, OAS, SICA and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), among others. The subregional consultations of the MERCOSUR, Andean and Mesoamerican countries underlined the important contributions to the progressive development of international human rights law and international refugee law of the Inter‐American Court of Human Rights and the regional agreements in this area, in countries in which they apply. Moreover, reference was made to the great potential and benefits that could result from strengthening cooperation between Latin American and Caribbean countries in the field of international protection (South‐South cooperation). In this area, mention was made of exchanges between national refugee status determination commissions, within the framework of both MERCOSUR and SICA, and the Cooperation Agreement between the General Secretariat of SICA and UNHCR in the area of protection of refugees and displaced persons. A fundamental element for continuing to develop the legal and institutional framework for the protection of refugees, displaced and stateless persons, and to ensure the effective implementation of regional and international standards, is to promote knowledge and training among all stakeholders, which include States, international organizations and civil society, and ensure the dissemination of regional guidelines, doctrine and jurisprudence. The consultations particularly recommended reinforcing existing training programmes such as the Regional Course on International Refugee Law, the Introductory Course to the International System of Refugee Protection within MERCOSUR and its associate States, and the Regional Course on Statelessness for Latin America and the Caribbean. In light of the new challenges posed by climate change and natural disasters, as well as by displacement of persons across borders that these phenomena may generate, UNHCR is requested to prepare a study on the subject with the aim of supporting the adoption of appropriate national and regional measures, tools and guidelines, including response strategies for countries in the region, contingency plans, integrated responses for disaster risk management and humanitarian visa programmes, within the framework of its mandate. Throughout the entire preparatory process, attention was drawn to the importance of cooperation and collaboration among all relevant actors, including those outside the region, to respond to the current challenges of displacement and statelessness. In particular, Governments reaffirmed the importance of working closely with UNHCR regarding asylum‐seekers, refugees, returnees, displaced and stateless persons and those without a clear nationality or at risk of statelessness. The need to consult UNHCR about matters related to its mandate, to make rapid prevention interventions in these areas, was recognized. 18

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