A system that contributes to the rights and well-being of refugees in Mexico

Montevideo, April 17, 2023.

Forced displacement of people is a global issue of great importance. A growing number of individuals, more than ever in history, have decided to leave their homes in search of protection. According to the Global Trends report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), by the end of 2021 there were 89.3 million displaced people worldwide due to conflicts, violence, persecution, human rights violations, among others. This number increased even further in 2022 due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

In the last two years, COMAR has recorded a total of 248,528 people, setting a new historic record in the country. With this number of applicants, Mexico ranked third in the world among countries with the highest number of asylum seekers. In April 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Mexico presented the results report “Protection and Solutions in the Pandemic” 2021, which indicated that Mexico received over 131,000 new asylum applications—a record compared to 2020. This represented an increase of 220%, placing the country third in the world in terms of the largest number of new applications of this type.

In Mexico, COMAR maintains close coordination with UNHCR. This international organization plays an important role in guiding asylum seekers through the procedures they must follow with the Mexican government.

COMAR and UNHCR, with technical support from Sofis Solutions, have developed and implemented a second version of the Refugee Information System (SIRE); the first version allowed recording asylum applications at COMAR, while this new version enables case registration and management throughout the procedure for each area of work, as well as real-time statistical data collection to improve management. Thanks to its new features, this version collects personal data, systematizes COMAR’s administrative processes to simplify and enhance efficiency, notifies official documentation, accelerates case handling, and generates more dynamic and reliable statistics.

This new SIRE contributes to the commitment of leaving no one behind in terms of protection, serving asylum seekers with equality and non-discrimination. This technological solution focuses on placing people at the center and promotes inclusive and sustainable development. In this way, it aligns with UNHCR’s strategy to ensure the inclusion of refugees in societies and strengthen institutions for durable solutions, linked to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 10 and 16 of the 2030 Agenda.

Within this new version of SIRE, a self-service module called “COMAR Digital” was developed, allowing applicants to create an individual account and complete a pre-registration, which facilitates procedures with COMAR and ensures real-time access to information about the status of their application, while enabling communication via notifications sent through COMAR Digital between applicants and COMAR, especially in states where this Mexican government body does not have offices.

In line with data protection, SIRE incorporates key functionalities such as case assignment among COMAR units, detection of vulnerability cases, interoperability between institutional systems and the digital archive system, simplification of case tracking and prioritization for cases nearing deadlines, self-service access to refugee status applications, internal monitoring, and accessibility to the status of different procedures for applicants, refugees, and beneficiaries of complementary protection at COMAR.

According to Clémentine Bouchereau, Protection Associate Officer of QAI (Quality Assurance Initiative) at UNHCR, “The development of this system will enable comprehensive case management throughout the procedure for each area of work at COMAR: from registering an application, consulting the digital file, issuing documents and actions, to capturing essential data and information for case analysis and resolution. Additionally, asylum seekers will be able to check the status of their application online in real-time, guaranteeing their right to access information.”

For his part, Leonel Arroyo, Deputy Director and Head of the Analysis and Statistics Unit at COMAR, states: “Previously, the system only allowed application registration; now it has become a comprehensive management and work tool, where all COMAR work areas can access and work on cases. By entering data into the system throughout the procedure, it allows us to (1) have a unique database with more exploitable information, (2) centralize data management and analysis by the Analysis and Statistics Unit, and (3) monitor SIRE users’ activities to improve case management.”

The scope of this information system is national and it is being used by all COMAR offices, which will allow reaching more people seeking international protection and reduce processing times.