Canada mobilizes international donors to support Venezuelan refugees

By Shady Salah On Jun 19, 2021

#Together4Venezuelans @karinagould #Venezuela #Canada @Refugees @MelGalla @JamousRema @UNHCRCanada @ACLatAm

The federal government will provide $115 million in aid over two years for millions of Venezuelan asylum seekers living in countries in South and Central America and the Caribbean, said International Development Minister Karina Gould.
Canada has convened the International Donors’ Conference in Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in collaboration with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the International Organization for Migration.
The conference increased the international visibility of the second-largest displacement crisis in the world and mobilized additional resources to support the response.
The donors conference hosted Thursday by Canada raised US$954 million in grants committed by 30 countries and US$600 million in concessional loans pledged by the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank, Gould said in a news release.
Within this amount, Canada pledged $115.4. The funding will go toward immediate humanitarian assistance, including shelter, food, water, sanitation and hygiene, health and protection for those affected by the crisis. It will also support longer-term development assistance to improve access to quality education and the integration of Venezuelan refugees and migrants, as well as strengthen public services in host countries and communities.
“It has been a privilege for Canada to host this event, which demonstrates our continued commitment to respond to this crisis. We applaud the solidarity shown today by partners and donor countries and recognize the enormous efforts of host countries to mobilize opportunities for the millions of Venezuelans seeking new lives across the region,” Karina Gould said.
“We are at a critical juncture. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Latin America and the Caribbean with particular ferocity, at a time when they struggle to respond to the world’s second-largest displacement of people outside their country. Of the 5.6 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants, 4.6 million are in the region. The responsibility of protecting and assisting them and the communities that host them cannot lie only with the countries of the region. It must be shared by the wider international community,” Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said.

Statement by UNHCR link

The refugee crisis is having a significant effect on host countries especially during #COVID19, and 🇨🇦 wants to help them support #Venezuelan refugees with food assistance, health care, education and employment opportunities. #Together4Venezuelans https://t.co/FZKUufP2FZ

— Karina Gould (@karinagould) June 17, 2021

Quick facts

Canada organized the conference to call on the international community to mobilize much-needed additional resources to help respond to the urgent needs of millions of people.
The number of refugees and migrants leaving Venezuela is increasing daily, making it the second-largest external displacement crisis in the world, with over 5.6 million individuals having left or fled the country since 2015.
Since 2019, Canada has committed $86 million in funding to respond to the humanitarian and development needs of Venezuelan migrants and refugees in the region.

Associated links