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Venezuela Crisis Fact Sheet #2

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Venezuela Crisis Fact Sheet #2 YEMEN - COMPLEX EMERGENCY FACT SHEET #7, FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2016 JANUARY 1, 2016 VENEZUELA REGIONAL CRISIS FACT SHEET #2, FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2020 MAY 22, 2020 NUMBERS AT HIGHLIGHTS HUMANITARIAN FUNDING A GLANCE FOR THE VENEZUELA REGIONAL CRISIS COVID-19 crisis exacerbates RESPONSE IN FYs 2017–20201 humanitarian needs among Venezuelans across LAC region, triggers influx of USAID/OFDA2 $137,023,933 5.1 returnees to Venezuela USAID/FFP3 $203,770,832 million USG announces more than $138 million 4 Estimated Number of in humanitarian funding for response to State/PRM $269,786,327 Venezuelan Migrants and the Venezuela regional crisis Refugees WFP assessment estimates more than R4V – May 2020 two million people in Venezuela were in $610,581,092 need of emergency food assistance as of 6.5 mid-2019 million KEY DEVELOPMENTS Projected Number of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) prevention and mitigation measures in countries Venezuelan Migrants and hosting Venezuelan migrants and refugees—including quarantine orders, border Refugees by End of 2020 closures, and movement restrictions—and resultant economic hardships have R4V – November 2019 contributed to an influx of returns to Venezuela, primarily from Colombia, as well as from Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru, according to relief actors and government officials. The UN estimates that as many as 60,000 Venezuelans had voluntarily returned to the 2.3 country as of early May. Humanitarian organizations remain concerned over million Venezuela’s capacity to receive and assist returnees, as well as the health and protection risks associated with return movements in border areas amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Venezuelans Requiring Emergency Food In February, the UN World Food Program (WFP) released the results of an emergency Assistance food security assessment (EFSA) conducted from July to September 2019, indicating WFP – February 2020 that approximately 2.3 million Venezuelans were severely food insecure and required emergency food assistance, while an additional 7 million Venezuelans were experiencing moderate food insecurity. Relief actors have since expressed concern that the $750 socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are now exacerbating food million insecurity on top of the ongoing political and economic crisis in Venezuela. U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo announced more than $138 million in Funding Requirement for 2020 Humanitarian additional U.S. Government (USG) humanitarian funding to support efforts to respond Response Activities in to the Venezuela regional crisis, including inside of Venezuela, on May 20. The Venezuela funding—comprising approximately $62 million from State/PRM, nearly $57 million UN – May 2020 from USAID/FFP, and nearly $20 million from USAID/OFDA—will enable non- governmental organizations (NGOs) and UN agencies to continue providing critical $1.41 multi-sector support to vulnerable populations across the region. 1 This total does not include USG funding for COVID-19 preparedness and response activities under the Supplemental Funding to billion Prevent, Prepare for, and Respond to COVID-19 Abroad. Funding Requirement for 2 USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) 3 Revised 2020 RMRP USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) 4 U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (State/PRM) R4V – May 2020 1 COVID-19 REGIONAL IMPACT AND RESPONSE The COVID-19 pandemic has not only exacerbated humanitarian needs inside Venezuela, but also compounded vulnerabilities among the approximately 4.3 million Venezuelan migrants and refugees residing in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region. As of early May, Colombia was hosting more than 1.8 million Venezuelans, followed by Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Brazil, according to the Regional Interagency Coordination Platform for Refugees from Venezuela (R4V), led by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). While some host governments have incorporated Venezuelans into national COVID-19 prevention and response plans, and relief actors—including USG partners—have adapted programming to prioritize life-saving assistance in the context of COVID-19, many Venezuelans have been unable to meet basic needs under quarantine restrictions and social distancing measures, prompting thousands to return to Venezuela, often through informal and risky means. On May 12, R4V released the revised 2020 Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP) for the Venezuela regional crisis, requesting an additional $439 million for COVID-19-related response activities, bringing the plan’s total financial requirements to more than $1.4 billion. While revised response priorities vary by country, the health sector requests the largest increase in financial contributions, amounting to nearly $132 million across all RMRP countries. The revised RMRP also aims to ensure inclusion of Venezuelans in national social protection and livelihood responses; increase provision of cash assistance; and address the increased protection risks faced by migrants and refugees under COVID- 19-related restrictions. As of May 22, the 2020 RMRP had only received approximately 6 percent, or $88.7 million, of required funding. To support the response to the Venezuela regional crisis, USAID has allocated an additional $8.5 million in humanitarian assistance for COVID-19 response activities in Colombia and $9 million for Venezuela, aiming to support case management, disease surveillance, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) supplies, and other critical activities. State/PRM has provided nearly $8.9 million in additional COVID-19 funding for the Venezuela regional crisis response, including more than $3.3 million inside Venezuela and nearly $5.6 million in countries across the region. VENEZUELA Following confirmation of the first COVID-19 cases in Venezuela on March 13, the regime of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro declared a state of emergency and imposed a nationwide quarantine, suspending schools and all commercial activities, except those related to basic services, food, and health care operations. The quarantine was recently extended until June 12. As of May 22, regime authorities had identified 824 COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths in Venezuela according to the UN World Health Organization (WHO); however, some relief actors have expressed concern that, due to limitations of testing and reporting, the actual number of cases could be significantly higher. The quarantine measures in Venezuela have exacerbated humanitarian needs among vulnerable populations, limiting livelihoods opportunities for those dependent on the informal economy, as well as for people engaged in cross-border economic activity and individuals dependent on remittances, which have decreased due to the economic impact of the pandemic in neighboring countries, the UN reports. Meanwhile, prices have increased for some essential commodities, and ongoing hyperinflation further inhibits households from accessing sufficient food, medicine, and other basic needs. The COVID-19 pandemic and collapse of global oil prices have resulted in severe fuel shortages in Venezuela, disrupting food supply and distribution systems in some areas, the UN reports. Fuel shortages have also prevented some individuals from accessing medical care and other basic services, while long queues for gasoline pose an obstacle to social distancing measures, contributing to the risk of further COVID-19 transmission. Furthermore, fuel shortages and COVID-19-related movement restrictions have hindered the delivery of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN. While the Maduro regime had issued nearly 280 movement permits as of April 23 to some UN agencies, NGOs, and commercial companies to facilitate humanitarian access during the quarantine, the fuel shortages have continued to inhibit humanitarian movements in some areas. 2 Relief actors caution that impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and fuel shortages have further exacerbated food insecurity in Venezuela. Prior to the onset of the pandemic, approximately 2.3 million people in Venezuela—8 percent of the population—were experiencing severe food insecurity, according to the July–September 2019 WFP EFSA. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the interim Government of Venezuela (GoV) released a National Emergency Plan and called for an urgent increase in international humanitarian assistance, noting that Venezuela’s health system remains ill-equipped to adequately respond. The interim GoV also formed a COVID-19 commission of health professionals to provide technical guidance and issue informational updates. As of mid-May, a countrywide survey of health facilities conducted by the interim GoV health commission reported that 70 percent of surveyed health care facilities lacked consistent supply of soap, 40 percent lacked gloves, and 55 percent lacked protective masks, reflecting a consistently acute supply shortage since the near-daily survey began in late March; additionally, 95 percent of surveyed hospitals lacked running water. The UN released a multi-sector COVID-19 preparedness and response plan for Venezuela on April 10, requesting $72.1 million—nested within the $2 billion UN Global Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID-19—to augment national response efforts in coordination with UN agencies and NGOs operational in the country. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are leading the COVID-19 response, prioritizing capacity-building
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