Venezuela

Working environment

UNHCR estimates that as many as 165,000 Colombians are in refugee-like situations, while only some 7,500 people have been recognized as refugees in Venezuela. Despite outreach efforts by Venezuelan institutions to provide access to asylum, many Colombians in refugee-like situations have not accessed the asylum system. The results of a profiling exercise implemented with the Venezuelan government in 2016 will help determine the magnitude, protection and solutions needs for people of concern in the country. Despite the ongoing peace process in Colombia, most refugees in Venezuela prefer local integration as the most suitable solution.

Venezuela has traditionally provided asylum-seekers and refugees with access to public services, including primary health care and education. The Government offers several welfare programmes to its citizens, such as housing, subsidized food and services for the elderly that also benefit refugees. However, the challenging socio-economic situation in the country is impacting on the daily subsistence of people of concern.  
 

Key priorities

Venezuela adopted a multi-year National Human Rights Plan which envisages an inter-institutional response to strengthen the protection of people of concern and bring about solutions, as part of the Government’s commitment to the Brazil Plan of Action (BPA). The adoption of a national inter-institutional implementation plan to this effect is a key priority for 2017.  In support of the inter-institutional plan, UNHCR’s multi-year, multi-partner protection and solutions strategy will focus on the acquisition of documentation by people of concern so that they can access services and a range of other rights allowed by Venezuelan law.  The profiling exercise is a critical pre-requisite to better inform and implement the protection and solutions strategy as its results, which will be made available in early 2017, will establish the magnitude, location, and the protection and solutions needs of the people of concern.  While it is expected that an important number of people in need of international protection will find a durable solution through a migratory regularization, the operation will continue to work on improving the quality of the asylum system and the social and economic integration of the persons of concern. 
In order to be able to implement a regularization campaign, accompanied by community-based socioeconomic integration initiatives, the Operation relies on the openness shown by the Venezuelan authorities and the availability of additional resources.