UN migration agency rolls out regional response to ongoing Venezuelans exodus
| Publisher | UN News Service |
| Publication Date | 10 April 2018 |
| Cite as | UN News Service, UN migration agency rolls out regional response to ongoing Venezuelans exodus, 10 April 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5b83c593a.html [accessed 5 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
10 April 2018
The United Nations migration agency on Tuesday launched a regional action plan to bolster its response to massive population outflows from Venezuela, amid the worsening political and socioeconomic situation in the South American country.
As the exodus has considerably increased over the last two years, an estimated 1.6 million Venezuelans were abroad in 2017, up from 700,000 in 2015, with 1.3 million in the Americas, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
"The plan is tailored to specific national contexts across 17 countries including eight South American countries, six Caribbean countries, two Central American countries and Mexico,"explained Marcelo Pisani, IOM Regional Director for Central America, North America and the Caribbean.
The exodus is not letting up. For instance, more than 800 Venezuelans are estimated to be entering Brazil each day, bringing the total arrivals to more than 52,000 since the beginning of 2017, according to the host Government.
IOM's regional plan seeks to strengthen the response to the needs and priorities expressed by concerned Governments and focuses on such activities as data collection and dissemination, capacity-building and coordination, direct support and socioeconomic integration.
Diego Beltrand, IOM Regional Director for South America, encourages host countries to consider adopting measures, such as regularizing the stay of Venezuelans, and called for the international community to contribute to the regional plan, which requires $32.3 million to implement.
