The Darién Gap between Colombia and Panama had become one of the Western Hemisphere’s most challenging mixed‑migration corridors, with hundreds of people arriving daily in the indigenous communities of Canaan Membrillo and Bajo Chiquito. These remote locations were accessible only by river or difficult trails and suffered from extremely limited communications, weak public services and minimal humanitarian infrastructure.

For UNHCR and partner organisations, reliable connectivity was essential for coordinating protection activities, registration, health support, logistics and security in an environment where terrestrial networks were largely absent.

As a standby partner within the Refugee Emergency Telecommunications Sector, emergency.lu supported UNHCR by sustaining two priority connectivity sites for humanitarian operations and controlled community access. Building on the VSAT terminals and solar‑power systems installed in 2024, Luxembourg deployed a team to Panama for a refurbishment and technical assistance mission from 24 February to 4 March 2025.

During this mission, the team carried out a full technical assessment and maintenance programme across both sites.

These refurbished connectivity hubs provided secure and reliable internet services for UNHCR, local authorities and humanitarian actors, enabling real‑time coordination in an area where operations depended heavily on satellite communications. They also offered controlled community access, supporting education, communication with relatives, information services and livelihood activities for host populations and people on the move.

Through this technical deployment, Luxembourg strengthened digital infrastructure in one of the region’s most isolated humanitarian settings, contributing directly to safer, more effective refugee and migrant operations along the south‑north Americas migration route.