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ESPECIALLY The exodus of venezuela “there is no condition to believe that the exodus of venezuelan go to decrease” Venezuela, host country to the land of exodus
The exodus in Venezuela does not cease. And in the host countries, the bill of social and economic triggers. With the aim of mobilizing the international community and to channel resources towards Colombia and the rest of neighbouring States, the European Commission, the UN Agency for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration held this Monday and Tuesday in Brussels an International Conference of Solidarity. The initiative, which has more than 500 registered participants, has been driven by Federica Mogherini, High Representative of EU Foreign Policy. Both Europe and the United Nations fear that several countries close their borders to the passage of venezuelans, which could aggravate the internal situation of Venezuela and to leave many of the people who migrate without the necessary protection, exposed to networks of illegal pass.
Over 4.5 million venezuelans have already left the country and 80% has remained in the region, according to data from UNHCR. Ecuador (with 300,000 venezuelans in their territory), Peru (800.000) and Chile (290.000) have hardened recently the requirements to allow the entry of venezuelans, according to a report from the same agency. But the leak continues and extends to other Latin american countries: people crossing on foot or by bus from Venezuela to Brazil fly then to Argentina (where there are around 130,000 venezuelans). According to the organizers of the Conference, the immigration crisis is the largest experienced by Latin america in recent history and the second largest in the world in these times, behind only Syria.
however, sources from the department of Mogherini recognized that the appointment in Brussels, “not only replies to a humanitarian concern but also a reason pragmatic”. The EU believes that the unstoppable migratory flow venezuelan can destabilize an area where some of the european countries, Spain among them, have significant economic interests. And the block border around Venezuela, if completed, would lead to part of the flow of migration to the Old continent, given that around a million venezuelans have dual nationality with a european passport. “There are many pathways by which we can reach the impact,” warns a source community.
The summit of a high level in Brussels reflects also the fiasco of the offensive international that attempted to settle the crisis in Venezuela through the support of John Guaidó to topple Nicolas Maduro. The strategy led by the US and backed with shades for the majority of european countries, including Spain, there has been no change tangible. And the crisis has stalled dangerously with no apparent solution in sight.
The Spanish minister of Foreign functions, Josep Borrell, who will take over from Mogherini to the front of the diplomacy community, as he noted during his hearing for the position before the European Parliament at the beginning of the month the cul-de-sac in which it is located western strategy. “Venezuela is living an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and all the attempts at dialogue, even supported by Mogherini, have failed and have given oxygen to the regime,” he said.
The situation of the host countries
“The solidarity of neighbouring countries has been extraordinary, but they are not prepared to withstand a crisis of these dimensions,” he noted on Friday, Eduardo Stein, special representative of UNHCR and IOM to Venezuela, during a meeting with the press in Brussels. Stein warned that the host countries “are under pressure, with the institutional structure that is overloaded, the provision of services overwhelmed and the budgets exhausted”.
Only the arrivals to Colombia, 1.4 million, far exceeded the immigration crisis of 2015 placed against the strings to the German Government of Angela Merkel, stressed the European Union and led to the reintroduction of border controls between various members of the Schengen zone. In the countries that surround Venezuela, the risk of a backlash against migrants and refugees is also becoming more apparent, according to UNHCR, and may end up causing a political crisis or a cerrojazo border as adopted by the eu against Syria after the agreement with Turkey in 2016.
“we Started to see signs of xenophobia,” says Stein. “The local population resents and accuses their governments of paying too much attention to migrants while neglecting its citizens.” adds. Stein ensures that the charges are not true, but the pressure on the essential services encourages complaints.
basic Needs such as health, education or housing are saturated in areas where it is concentrated migration. “The health care to migrants venezuelans grew from 125 cases in 2014 to almost 25,000 in 2017 and to more than 18,000 attentions in the first few months of 2018,” says a World Bank report on the impact of migration on venezuelan in Colombia, based on data from the colombian authorities.
The European Commission underlines, in addition, that the management of the crisis, is facing a challenge of a new scale, because it is not enough to cater to the newcomers but that the host countries should be prepared to assimilate them for a long time or almost permanently. Brussels wants the international aid also to adapt to this new scenario, in which the crisis is not only very acute but also chronic. “We don’t want an emergency support but structural”, warn community sources on the eve of the Conference.
The bill has doubled in just one year
The International Conference of Solidarity with the immigration crisis venezuela is not intended to be a conclave of donors to use, with a specific goal of fundraising. But the European Commission encourages the participating countries “announced commitments” of solidarity to show to the venezuelan people and to the host countries “that you are not alone” in a crisis of enormous dimensions.
“This conference must be the first show of international solidarity,” says Eduardo Stein, special representative of UNHCR and IOM to Venezuela. Stein ensures that the calculations on the financial needs of the plan of solidarity “is being updated” and could be filed in the coming weeks within the framework of a meeting of the so-called Process of Quito, the initiative of the countries of the area to address the immigration crisis.
But Stein has already foretold that “the number of persons in need of protection, it has doubled. And the figures on financial needs calculated a year ago, also pcould have been bent”.
UNHCR last year launched an appeal for additional contributions for 46 million dollars, in order to finance the actions of asylum policy in eight of the countries with the greatest number of potential refugees from venezuela. The funding goal of UNHCR for this year stands at 158,2 untold millions of dollars, of which you already have covered 74%. The number of countries where it has increasing significantly the arrival of venezuelan doubled to 16.
The Spanish foreign minister, Josep Borrell, who has planned to intervene at the Conference on Monday afternoon, has already announced a Spanish contribution of 50 million euros over the next three years, adding to the 14 million contribution of the last two years. The contribution of the EU is around 120 million.
