Subject: VP/HR - Venezuela and humanitarian aid
Recent media reports have revealed that five EU countries, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany, are to send EUR 16 million worth of humanitarian aid to Venezuela.
On 31 January 2019, following the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, the High Representative of the Union, Federica Mogherini, announced that the Union had already sent some EUR 50 million in humanitarian aid to Venezuela and neighbouring countries. A further EUR 5 million was pledged on 5 February 2019 in response to the urgent nature of the humanitarian crisis in the country. However, the events of the weekend of 23 February 2019 mean that this aid will not reach those that need it, since all humanitarian operations have been blocked by the Venezuelan security authorities.
Will the Portuguese Government, and other EU governments, also send humanitarian aid to the Venezuelan people?
Given the volume of aid has been delivered thus far, will the Union continue to coordinate the delivery of the humanitarian aid from the five countries referred to above, or will it be managed by a separate organisation?
How will this aid actually reach the Venezuelan people, given that Maduro has previously stated that he is willing to receive aid from the EU?
Answer given by Vice-President Mogherini on behalf of the European Commission (14 May 2019)
The EU has given a particular attention to the humanitarian and migratory crisis in Venezuela and to its regional impact. Since the beginning of 2018 the European Commission (EC) has allocated over EUR 117 million for humanitarian, development and stabilisation assistance both in Venezuela and in its neighbouring countries. Additional development support to host communities in neighbouring countries has been provided in order to allow them to absorb migrant flows.
Some Member States have also announced the allocation of bilateral relief assistance, while Portugal has channelled a financial contribution through the EC. The EC has been encouraging all EU Member States to coordinate efforts, and where possible pooling resources through the EU humanitarian budget.
So far, the EC has been funding medical support, food, nutrition, access to water and education for the most vulnerable in Venezuela. It has also financed protection, shelter, food, healthcare and legal assistance for vulnerable people forced to leave the country. EC- funded humanitarian aid is distributed following a strictly needs-based approach, according to the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence, and is channelled through specialised humanitarian partners having signed a framework agreement with the EC, which has so far granted unimpeded access to the populations in need.
The events of 23 February 2019 have hampered some relief activities in border areas with Colombia and Brazil, but have not halted EC humanitarian assistance altogether.
In this respect, following the Montevideo Declaration of 7 February 2019 (1), the International Contact Group for Venezuela has been continuously working on the widening of the humanitarian space in Venezuela and on the strengthening of a relief coordination system under the leadership of the United Nations in order to facilitate the delivery of assistance and further step up the response to urgent needs.
⋅1∙ https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/57788/international-contact-group-%E2%80%93-meeting-7-february_en | | ( | | )