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Throughout 2022, the countries of the Southern Cone - Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay - experienced low levels of economic growth and, in some cases, high inflation rates which have negatively impacted the socio-economic integration opportunities of refugees and migrants from Venezuela, particularly those that recently arrived in the Sub-region.
The protection environment has also been weakened as a result of a set of challenges in addressing human mobility largely attributable to the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as longstanding obstacles to access asylum systems, to regularize stay in some of the countries and to access basic documentation.
Against this background, movement dynamics of refugees and migrants from Venezuela in the Sub-region have mostly returned to pre-pandemic patterns following the gradual reopening of borders in October 2021. Nevertheless, in 2022 there was a notable increase in onwards movements in multiple directions, some via irregular border crossings points particularly along the Bolivian border with Chile.
As presented in the RMNA, the main priority needs of refugees and migrants from Venezuela in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay include access to employment and/or self-employment opportunities as well as financial, legal and operational support to access dignified housing solutions. While in Bolivia, protection-related interventions (e.g., access to documentation or legal assistance) were identified as the primary needs followed by shelter, food and health.