The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has been scaling up its operations in crisis-torn Venezuela and reinforcing its presence in border areas of neighboring countries and is ready to do more if it has enough resources, the organization's spokesman, William Spindler, told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th February, 2019) The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has been scaling up its operations in crisis-torn Venezuela and reinforcing its presence in border areas of neighboring countries and is ready to do more if it has enough resources, the organization's spokesman, William Spindler, told Sputnik."UNHCR is already working on the ground in Venezuela and, like other UN agencies, has been scaling up its activities. We are ready, subject to the availability of resources, to do more," he said.
Spindler added that the UNHCR was not coordinating humanitarian assistance inside Venezuela but was active in the scale-up strategy developed by the United Nations Country Team.
"With mounting political tension between Venezuela and its neighbours, UNHCR has also reinforced its presence in border areas of Colombia and Brazil, monitoring population movements and preparing for any potential change in the number of refugees and migrants leaving Venezuela," Spindler added.
The agency has about 70 staffers and five offices in Venezuela, including one in Caracas, the spokesman noted.
According to UN estimates, more than 1 million Venezuelans, who have fled economic hardships, are seeking refuge in Colombia. However, before the crisis struck Venezuela, the migrant flow went in the opposite direction, with Colombians fleeing violence in their own country for a more peaceful neighbor.
The UNHCR has been running community-based projects in areas that are predominantly hosting refugees, but local Venezuelans are also benefiting from its health and education initiatives.
In addition, the UNHCR helped more than 80,000 people with documents, education, food, water, and sanitation in 2018.
