UN will help countries that have received Venezuelans in their new annual plan

The UN has included Venezuela for the first time in its annual humanitarian plan, through which it will provide aid to the countries of South America and the Caribbean receiving most of Venezuelans who have left their country because of the crisis they suffer.

“We plan to help the neighboring countries of Venezuela to face the consequences of the flow of Venezuelans who have arrived,” said UN Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock at a press conference to present the UN’s global humanitarian plan for 2019

The chapter dedicated to the Venezuelan crisis will require financing of 738 million dollars in order to reach 2.2 million beneficiaries.

Lowcock explained that virtually all the countries of South America and several Caribbean countries will receive aid, but in proportion to the load of Venezuelans who have reached them.

On the situation within Venezuela, Lowcock mentioned that the UN has reinforced its aid for the areas of health and nutrition, and that there is willingness to do more if the national authorities agree with it.

The section of the humanitarian plan dedicated to Venezuela indicates that 2.6 million Venezuelans have emigrated because of the crisis and that 1.9 million have done so since 2015.

However, the UN has found that in recent months the vulnerability of Venezuelans who emigrate has been accentuated, since most have walked thousands of kilometers for several weeks crossing two or more countries until they reach their destination.

“In 2019, an estimated 3.6 million people will need assistance and protection, without the return being foreseeable in the short or medium term,” says the UN plan.

The UN anticipates that the flow of migrants and refugees to other countries in the region will continue next year, a situation that will increase pressure on the latter and affect their ability to respond.

“There will also be an impact on the absorption capacity of local communities,” predicts the UN.

Under the name “Regional Response Plan for Refugees and Migrants”, the humanitarian operation will be carried out by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Agency for Refugees (UNHCR).

With information from EFE