Costa Rica and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced Thursday an agreement that will provide health insurance to 10,000 refugees by the end of the year.
Costa Rica will try to improve protections for thousands of Nicaraguans who request asylum or refuge in the country through an initiative supported by the UN and the European Union.
There are currently more than 87,000 applications for refuge in Costa Rica, of which 80% are from Nicaraguans and 7% are from Venezuelans, according to government data.
The UN urged countries Tuesday to take joint responsibility for caring for surging numbers of displaced people, while wealthy nations faced criticism for not shouldering their "fair share" of the burden.
