The international donors' conference in solidarity with Venezuelan refugees and migrants, co-organised by Spain and the EU on Tuesday 26 May, raised €2.544 billion, of which €595 million in grants.
At the opening of the conference, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, announced support of almost €550 million to “help those who help”.
“The European Union will contribute to this conference by providing €144.2 million in new funding for humanitarian aid, development cooperation and conflict prevention. In addition, the European Investment Bank will make available €400 million in loans to countries hosting migrants”, he announced at the opening of the conference. EU Member States have pledged €87.5 million in grants.
So far, the EU has provided €319 million in aid in response to the Venezuelan crisis: €156 million for humanitarian aid, €136 million for development and €27 million for stability and peace.
More than five million Venezuelans have fled their country, according to the UN, making it the second largest refugee crisis in the world, after the Syrian crisis. According to Caritas, nine million Venezuelans still in their country are in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
Although the donors' conference has a humanitarian objective, Mr Borrell recalled that an international effort to support a “democratic and negotiated” transition should not be abandoned.
For her part, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González Laya, stressed that the international community had not forgotten the Venezuelans, that it supported them and continued to work to provide solutions with support for a return to democracy in Venezuela. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)