The European Union has launched the HOPE programme in Costa Rica, a €10 million initiative aimed at expanding regularization, protection and socioeconomic inclusion opportunities for forcibly displaced persons and migrants, while strengthening the capacities of host institutions and communities. The programme was presented on 1 July 2026 at the Refugee Unit of the General Directorate of Migration and Foreigners (DGME), with the participation of Costa Rican Planning Minister Carla Morales Rojas, EU Ambassador Pierre-Louis Lempereur, Spanish Ambassador Juan Ignacio Morra, and representatives from UNHCR and IOM.
HOPE will be implemented in partnership with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Bread for the World and Oxfam. The programme focuses on strengthening migration and asylum processes, access to documentation, legal guidance, essential services and social protection mechanisms. Ambassador Lempereur stated that the programme will promote economic inclusion through technical training, skills development, support for employment and entrepreneurship, and partnerships with the productive sector, aiming to generate sustainable opportunities for both migrants and host communities.
Planning Minister Morales highlighted that the initiative will be deployed in the Northern Zone of Costa Rica, particularly in border communities with Nicaragua such as Upala, Los Chiles and San Carlos, which are key entry and settlement points for migratory flows. She emphasized that the intervention responds to the national sociodemographic reality where displaced Nicaraguans coexist daily with host communities, enriching the social fabric.
The launch event brought together national and local authorities, diplomatic corps, civil society organizations and international agencies. Participating national institutions included the DGME, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the Ministry of National Planning, the Ministry of Governance and Police, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship. Testimonies and artistic expressions during the event highlighted the challenges of displacement and migration, while showcasing the capacities and contributions of migrants to Costa Rica's development.
HOPE is financed by the European Union and co-financed by partner entities, in alliance with national institutions, international organizations and civil society. The programme reaffirms the commitment of Costa Rica and its partners to a rights-based, inclusive and sustainable management of human mobility.
For Costa Rican host communities, the programme may ease pressure on local services and foster social cohesion, but could also raise concerns about resource allocation. For migrants and displaced persons, HOPE offers improved access to documentation, legal status and economic opportunities, reducing vulnerability. For the Costa Rican government, the initiative strengthens institutional capacity to manage migration flows, though it requires sustained coordination with multiple partners. For EU and international implementing agencies, the programme provides a framework for coordinated action, but success depends on effective collaboration with national authorities and civil society.