The United Nations Refugee Agency estimated there are now three million Venezuelan displaced persons across the world, Secretary-General spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters on Thursday.
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th November, 2018) The United Nations Refugee Agency estimated there are now three million Venezuelan displaced persons across the world, Secretary-General spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters on Thursday.
"The UN Refugee Agency and the UN Migration Agency today announced that the number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela worldwide has now reached 3 million," Haq said.
Columbia, he added, has the highest number of displaced persons emanating from Venezuela, a total of more than 1 million. The remaining ones settled in Argentina, Ecuador, Chile, and Brazil.
The United Nations praised the efforts of these countries in helping the people of Venezuela but urged the states to provide more robust help, Haq said.
States in the region have been trying to respond to the crisis in Venezuela through the Quito process, the next meeting of which is scheduled for November 22-23 in Ecuador, according to a UN press release.
The new figure puts Venezuela high on the list of refugee-producing countries. In 2017 Syria produced 6.3 million refugees and Afghanistan 2.6 million, a recent UN report revealed. The total number of refugees worldwide reached 68 million last year, according to the report.
Venezuela is currently in a deep economic crisis caused by the fall of oil prices and has been facing mass protests since last spring.
In August, Brazilian President Michel Temer ordered the deployment of forces to the northernmost state of Roraima, located on the border with Venezuela, due to the large influx of migrants from the crisis-torn country. The UN Refugee Agency has expressed concerns over the growing exodus of refugees from Venezuela. Meanwhile, the Venezuelan authorities claim that there is no humanitarian crisis in the country.
