WILLEMSTAD – In a correspondence with Curaçao Chronicle, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) indicated that a growing number of Venezuelans continue to leave their country.
According to public estimates in countries receiving Venezuelan nationals, it is estimated that there are already between hundreds of thousands and more than one million Venezuelans living in different parts of the world.
Among these people the UNHCR estimates that more than 100,000 have applied for refugee status between 2014 and 2017. More than half have done so in 2017. Similarly, more than 190,000 people Venezuelan nationals have obtained different permits or visas which allow them to regularise their status in host countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay and access their basic rights and services.
Given this complex situation and considering that the number of people leaving Venezuela with international protection needs, including asylum seekers, refugees, returnees, stateless and others whose lives might be at risk if they return to their country, will continue to increase, UNHCR is collaborating with governments, civil society, partners and other UN Agencies in the region to strengthen their response capacity as well as increase its presence in receiving countries in the Americas, where many Venezuelans are arriving.
As part of its activities, UNHCR is monitoring the situation and carrying out different characterization studies in order to adapt the response according to the needs of the Venezuelan people.
The UNHCR has created an information portal which gathers data on the Venezuela situation. The portal will be updated on a regular base.
Click here to visit the portal.
Bron: CuracaoChronicle