A/HRC/59/49/Add.2 66. The Special Rapporteur recommends that Panama guarantee the presence of the National Office for Refugee Affairs at key points along the transit route of migrants. The Special Rapporteur recommends that Panama consider applying the expanded definition of refugees under the Cartagena Declaration in its domestic refugee law, as has already been done by most countries in the region. 67. To address the phenomenon of the disappearance of migrants, cooperation with Colombia and other countries in the region should be strengthened to promote the search for missing migrants and investigations into their disappearance with a regional perspective. The Special Rapporteur calls on Panama to redouble efforts to prevent and investigate the disappearance of migrants and prosecute those responsible, and to create a collaborative mechanism with Colombia for cross-border search for disappeared migrants in the Darién region. 68. Panama should ensure that the relatives and close contacts of missing persons, whether in the country or abroad, have the possibility of obtaining information and participating in investigations and searches. 69. There is no safe path through the Darién region. When conducting strategic planning and identifying alternative migratory routes to Colombia, primary consideration should be given to ensuring the safety and dignity of people and preventing perilous journeys. Maritime routes that lack safety, security and reliable transit through countries may increase the risk of death or disappearance and must be avoided. Finding a sustainable solution and taking joint responsibility is key. 70. Protection of the human rights of unaccompanied and separated children remains a priority. Panama should disseminate and implement, across all relevant institutions, the Inter-Agency Guiding Principles on Unaccompanied and Separated Children in the context of mixed movements in the country. 71. It is essential to ensure the presence of child protection entities – including State entities, in particular the National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents and the Family, and those of the United Nations and civil society – in all migrant reception centres to verify family ties, avoid family separation, analyse cases involving families of various nationalities and ensure that procedures are conducted in the best interests of the child. Children, including those travelling with their families, should never be subjected to detention owing merely to their migration status or to that of their parents or guardians. 72. The importance of ensuring adequate presence of child protection entities is particularly relevant in the context of processes for the return, deportation, expulsion and repatriation of migrants, including deportations under the memorandum of understanding signed between Panama and the United States, through which Panama has been receiving deportation flights, transporting third-country nationals, from the United States, in order to send them back to their countries of origin. 73. The Special Rapporteur calls on Panama to ensure transparency with regard to such deportation arrangements, and to share information with the relevant United Nations agencies and the Ombudsperson’s Office on the profile of the individuals concerned and the action taken in their cases. Due process should be ensured and procedural safeguards put in place. Panama should grant the relevant United Nations agencies and the Ombudsperson’s Office access to any and all facilities to be used in the processes, such as hotels, airports and migrant reception centres, including the centre in San Vicente. Their presence is essential to identify protection needs, ensure accountability and strengthen safeguards. In addition, the presence of the National Office for Refugee Affairs is crucial to guarantee access to asylum for these individuals. 74. In relation to the suspension of aid by the United States, the Special Rapporteur calls on Panama to negotiate with the United States to secure waivers with regard to the pause in foreign assistance, and to ensure that such waivers are broad enough to enable United Nations agencies and civil society organizations to extend services to all migrants and refugees, without discrimination. In this context, granting access to 12 GE.25-06871