The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of key developments affecting the displacement situation in the Americas and some of UNHCR response activities in line with the 2019 strategic objectives for the region.
VENEZUELA SITUATION
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
1 The number of asylum applications by Venezuelan citizens worldwide has increased exponentially. Since 2014, over 414,000 asylum claims have been lodged by Venezuelans, nearly 60 percent of them during 2018 alone. In Venezuela, intermittent nation-wide power outages since 7 March severely hampered access to basic services, exacerbated humanitarian and security conditions and heightened tensions among the population.
2 To complement the Government’s efforts to proprovide international protection and respond to the increasing humanitarian needs of the arrivals from Venezuela, on 8 March UNHCR opened a reception centre in Maicao, near the Venezuelan border with Colombia.
The borders with Colombia and Brazil remained closed on the Venezuelan side, with exceptions for children attending schools in Colombia, medical emergencies and funerary services. As a result, increasing numbers of Venezuelans are using informal pathways controlled by criminal groups to enter Colombia and Brazil, which worsens risk and vulnerabilities.
3 Ecuador will host the next Quito III meeting on 8-9 April. In preparation, a technical meeting was held in Quito on the 11 and 12 March to exchange practices concerning registration and documentation of arriving Venezuelans. The Quito Process is a regional effort aiming to harmonise regional policies and practices to respond to the humanitarian needs of refugees and migrants from Venezuela.