UN Agencies Appeal For $1.3Bln To Address Venezuela Refugee Crisis - Statement

UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th November, 2019) The Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration are appealing for $1.35 billion in support of a regional plan to assist Venezuelan refugees and communities hosting them across the region, the UNHCR said in a press release on Wednesday.

"UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and IOM, the International Organization for Migration will today launch a US$1.35 billion regional plan to respond to the increasing humanitarian needs of Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Latin America and the Caribbean and the communities hosting them," the release said.

The funds are needed for activities of the 2020 Regional Refuge and Migrant Plan that include providing health, education, food security, protection, shelter, water and hygiene assistance, the release said.

The funds will also be used to ensure economic inclusion of the Venezuelan refugees and migrants, the release added.

The Regional Refuge and Migrant Plan represents a coordination and fundraising tool implemented by regional organizations working across 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, where approximately 3.7 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela currently reside.

According to the UNHCR, some 4.6 million people have already left Venezuela amid the political and economic instability there.