The global community should strengthen its support to Venezuelan refugees, migrants and countries hosting them amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) health emergency, joint UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM) Special Representative Eduardo Stein said in a press release on Wednesday
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2020) The global community should strengthen its support to Venezuelan refugees, migrants and countries hosting them amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) health emergency, joint UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM) Special Representative Eduardo Stein said in a press release on Wednesday.
"At a time when the world's attention is focused on COVID-19... we should not lose sight of the needs of the millions of Venezuelan refugees and migrants," Stein said. "We are urging the international community to boost its support for humanitarian, protection and integration programs, on which the lives and welfare of millions of people depend, including host communities."
As the economic impact of COVID-19 begins to be felt in Latin America and the Caribbean, funding to support Venezuelan refugees and host communities, whose situation has aggravated with the pandemic, is urgently needed, the release said.
While many Venezuelans struggle to meet basic needs, such as food, shelter and health care, on their own, host countries are also exhausting their national capacities to provide support.
According to UNHCR, 4.5 million people have fled Venezuela, with the vast majority of them residing within Latin America and the Caribbean.
