UN and Venezuelan government agree on humanitarian response plan for 2023

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, has reported that the United Nations has reached an agreement with the Venezuelan government to implement a humanitarian response plan to help 5.2 million people in vulnerable situations by 2023.

“I am pleased to say that in my meetings with the authorities we have agreed to publish the Humanitarian Response Plan for 2022-2023, which will help unlock critical resources for the well-being of the Venezuelan people,” Griffiths announced.

This new plan, he explained in a statement, requires $795 million (about €780 million) to be able to “provide assistance to 5.2 million people, focusing on supporting health services, improving food security and nutrition, strengthening basic service delivery and education, promoting protection, and addressing human mobility.”

“Significant humanitarian needs remain. It is more important than ever that the international community continues to show solidarity with the Venezuelan people, ensuring that the most vulnerable, including women, children and the elderly, are not left behind,” she said.

Griffiths has also thanked international donors for their solidarity, thanks to which $170 million (about 166 million euros) has been brought in over 2022 and has called on the government and the opposition to work together to “use Venezuela’s frozen resources abroad for the benefit of the most vulnerable and the country’s development.”

He has also affirmed that the UN “stands ready to provide support” in a context of “global crisis due to rising energy and food prices”, which “has the potential to contribute to global solutions that can impact the well-being of the most vulnerable.”

His words come after meeting with the president of the Caribbean country, Nicolás Maduro, and members of the opposition, in addition to civil society leaders.