UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th August, 2019) The international community should step up support for Brazil to help address the influx of Venezuelan refugees and migrants, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said on Monday.
"It is vital that efforts by the authorities at the Federal, state and municipal levels, as well as by civil society, church groups and ordinary Brazilians, are adequately supported by the international community," Grandi said in a press release. "Local people have been at the forefront of the response to the needs of Venezuelan refugees and migrants. They must not be left alone."
Grandi, who undertook a four-day visit to Brazil, praised the government for its efforts aimed at providing humanitarian aid, documentation, relocation and integration services to Venezuelan refugees.
However, Grandi said Brazil requires international support to improve the living conditions of Venezuelans there and mitigate the impact of the influx of refugees on local infrastructure and services.
At present, more than 180,000 Venezuelans remain in Brazil, bur an average of 500 refugees arrive daily in Brazil's northern state of Roraima and urgently require humanitarian assistance.
According to the Office of UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the majority of more than four million Venezuelan migrants and refugees have been received by countries in Latin America.
