International Community Raises USD 954 million for Venezuela 

Yesterday, the Canadian Ministry of International Development, alongside cohosts IOM and UNHCR, convened the third International Donors’ Conference in Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants. This annual event marshals the international community to act on their shared responsibility to address this crisis. 

Despite being the world’s second-largest displacement crisis, the Response to Venezuela is severely underfunded;approximately USD 300 has been raised for each migrant 

Throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, governments have maintained open borders, regularized vast numbers of Venezuelan migrants, and extended social services, including health care and education. These humanitarian policies represent an incredible investment from host countries, overextending their administrative and financial capacities- especially while facing a pandemic. 

Donors answered the call to action by giving generously to strengthen the UN’s Regional Interagency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela and to bolster the assistance provided by host communities. 

The conference raised USD 954 million committed by 30 countries, including 407 million from the US, and USD 600 million in concessional loans pledged by the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.  

Resources mobilized will support the implementation of agile and sustainable solutions that address the diverse and evolving needs of Venezuelan migrants and the countries receiving them. 

Addressing a crisis of this magnitude demands an all-of-society response.Thanks to partnerships with the private sector and philanthropies, USA for IOM is mobilizing critical resources for the Venezuela response.  

In the next half of 2021, we must strengthen these commitments to meet this humanitarian challenge with the resources it requires. More than ever, it is crucial that the private sector acts as a global leader and stands with Venezuelan migrants, refugees, and their host communities.