The LAC RMD Coalition issues a call to action in the framework of the International Donors’ Conference in Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants
The LAC RDM Coalition[1] salutes and thanks the Government of Canada and the R4V Platform for convening the International Donors’ Conference, as well as the European Union and the international donor community for their commitment to the more than 5.6[2] million refugees and migrants from Venezuela, 4.6 million of whom are in Latin America and the Caribbean.
According to the 2021 Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan for Venezuela (RMRP)[3] there are 7.2 million people with humanitarian need: 3.4 million Venezuelans settled in host countries, and the rest returnees, in transit and/or in pendular movement, a population that in 2020 particularly suffered the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The challenges for Venezuelan migrants and refugees are manifold: evictions, lack of safe shelter, gender-based violence, inability for children and adolescents to access or remain in education[4], violation of health and reproductive rights, the resurgence of sexual exploitation and trafficking of women and girls[5], the lack of access to regular and adequate food and nutrients, loss of sources of income, including people with disabilities often engaged in informal work, difficulties in accessing treatment for people with chronic illnesses, discrimination and violence, particularly towards the LGBTQI+ population, the lack of opportunities for young people and lack of responses for people with disabilities. These factors, among other affectations, have had a serious impact on the physical and psychological integrity of the population.
Meanwhile, it is estimated that 25,000 unaccompanied or separated children and adolescents have left Venezuela between 2015 and 2019[6], a figure that is increasing and exacerbating protection risks. Border restrictions and closures have considerably increased protection risks for the population transiting through the countries or crossing the borders irregularly. In addition, the presence of non-state armed actors or criminal gangs along the border between Venezuela and Colombia has further complicated the crisis, even affecting the Venezuelan population in their territory and causing new displacements from Venezuela to Colombia, as a result of armed confrontations, threats, intimidation and murders.
Despite all these challenges, some countries in the region have been an example of solidarity by implementing measures to facilitate integration. However, the medium-term challenges may be greater since Latin America and the Caribbean is the region most affected by the crisis generated by COVID-19 and will become the most indebted region in the world by the end of 2021, with levels of poverty and extreme poverty unseen for 12 and 20 years respectively (ECLAC, 2020).
With only 5.4% of the necessary funds required[7] in 2021 or 46.8% of the 2020 RMRP, the response to the refugee and migrant crisis is alarmingly underfunded. Civil society organizations report to have received only 8 out of every 100 dollars requested under the RMRP, despite constituting 90% of the organizations that are members of the Plan.
The Venezuelan refugee and migrant crisis, in terms of numbers of affected population and evolution, is similar to other humanitarian crises, such as the case of migration from Syria, for which financing in 2020 exceeds 20 billion dollars compared to the 1.4 billion that the Venezuelan[8] migration response has received since its beginning of the crisis.
The consequences of the humanitarian crisis of migrants and refugees from Venezuela imply the urgent need for more funds, political support and visibility to guarantee a strategic response that, if not addressed in a timely manner, will put at risk the humanitarian imperative to save lives and the commitment made by donors and by the international community to increase access to durable solutions. It is important to remember that funding for receiving countries should complement funding for the country of origin rather than replacing it, as the factors of expulsion from Venezuela persist and their trend shows that they could worsen.
In this context, the LAC RDM Coalition calls for ACTION before the States, the International Community of Donors, Multilateral Organizations and the United Nations, presenting the following recommendations:
- Ensure that more resources, in a direct and multiannual manner, are assigned to civil society organizations that are responding in the first line of intervention, ensuring the totality of the funds required in a timely manner, in order to guarantee a comprehensive response in the medium and/or long term.
- Ensure a balance in the distribution of resources for the care of the population in the country of origin and in the receiving countries, as well as increase financial and technical support to local and national institutions in the host countries.
- Prioritize the identification, approval and financing of medium and long-term actions that promote the integration of refugees, migrants and vulnerable host communities through the strengthening of protection systems, increased resilience, addressing macroeconomic challenges and factors of vulnerability, while also strengthening social safety nets to ensure durable solutions.
- In host countries, promote public policies, especially in the framework of the implementation of the Brazil Action Plan, that mitigate barriers to the regularization of migrants and stimulate access to income-generating opportunities outside illegal economies.
- Promote that governments in the region protect all inhabitants of their territory in the context of the ongoing pandemic, without discrimination on the basis of nationality and migratory status, and guarantee access to health services and pandemic prevention and control measures, including access to vaccination on equal terms with nationals.
- Implement a formal monitoring system to follow up on the commitments made at the international donor conference, including the strategic participation of civil society.
The LAC RMD Coalition welcomes and appreciates this forum for reflection, reaffirming its commitment to continue working with States, the United Nations and the International Community of Donors. We are making our support, experience and knowledge available to work in a coordinated manner for the well-being and integrity of migrants and refugees, including women, children, adolescents and youth, people with disabilities and the LGBTQI+ community. This is to promote their participation, in order to contribute to the search for durable solutions and the guarantee of their human rights.
[1] The Coalition for the Rights of Refugees, Migrants and Displaced Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean is a strategic alliance of civil society organizations working with refugee, migrant and displaced populations within the framework of the principles of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and its main objective is to advocate before States for an effective humanitarian preparedness and response in the short, medium and long term. It is currently composed of: Aldeas Infantiles, Action Against Hunger (ACH), Bethany, CARE, COOPI, ChildFund, CISP, DRC/DDG, FLM, HIAS, IRC, IPPFWHR, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), OXFAM, Plan International, RET Americas, RIADIS, Save the Children, World Vision and IFRC (as observers).
[2] https://www.r4v.info/es/home
[3] https://www.r4v.info/es/document/rmrp-2021-es
[4] In this context, the situation of migrant and refugee children is extremely worrying. According to evaluations in some South American countries, it is estimated that around 50% of Venezuelan refugee, migrant and asylum-seeking children in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru are not enrolled in school. Education Cannot Wait (ECW) https://bit.ly/3jhRzg8
[5] There has been an upsurge in sexual exploitation and trafficking of women and girls, especially during the routes travelled by the populations to reach their destination. These violations of their rights are aggravated by the lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services, by discrimination and xenophobia, or by the hypersexualization of Venezuelan girls and women and the loss of access to livelihoods and formal jobs due to the consequences of COVID-19[5]. According to some reports, sexual stigmatization is the main concern of Venezuelan migrant and refugee women.
[6] Data extracted from: http://hijosmigrantes.com/temporada1/errantes-encontexto/
[7] As of June 4, 2021, 95% of the Regional Response Plan has not been funded https://www.r4v.info/es/financiamiento
[8] https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2021/02/26/venezuelan-refugees-and-their-receiving-communities-need-funding-not-sympathy/