The European Commission will mobilise €75 million in humanitarian aid this year for vulnerable Venezuelans who have been forced to leave their country and for host communities in neighbouring countries.
The European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, announced this, Friday 17 March, on the second day of the International Conference in Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants and their Host Countries and Communities, co-organised by the EU and Canada in Brussels, with the support of the United Nations (IOM and UNHCR).
These funds from the EU budget are intended to cover the most urgent needs: food aid, health, shelter, protection, education and legal assistance. Canada, for its part, announced C$58.55 million to address humanitarian needs and support the long-term integration of refugees and migrants into host communities.
Seven million Venezuelans have left their country and 90% of them are refugees in Latin America. The EU’s contribution responds to the call of host countries and host communities, the Commissioner stressed. “The humanitarian situation deriving from the Venezuelan crisis is only getting worse, with almost 20 million people in need of life-saving assistance”, he said.
Since 2016, the EU has allocated almost €400 million in emergency humanitarian aid in response to the Venezuelan crisis. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)