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Written question asked by Neil Coyle (Labour) on Monday, 28 October 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 30 October 2019. It was answered by Andrew Murrison (Conservative) on Monday, 4 November 2019 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Venezuela: Refugees

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the UK Government is taking to support Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the countries bordering Venezuela.

Answer

As of October 2019, over 4.5 million Venezuelans have left the country, representing around 15% of the population. There are increasing reports of gender-based violence and human trafficking for sexual exploitation as people seek alternative routes out of Venezuela. The UK has provided £2 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies across seven countries in the region to meet the immediate basic needs of those on the move including providing emergency shelter and health services. In addition, the UK was the second largest donor to the Global Concessional Financing Facility for Colombia, providing £8 million to help unlock concessional loans to support Colombia in continuing to host over 1.4 million Venezuelans.

DFID provides significant core funding to multilateral organisations, including the United Nations and the Red Cross movement, who are providing emergency humanitarian support as part of the international response in the region. In addition, the UK is the largest donor to the Education Cannot Wait Fund which has provided $14 million towards the Venezuela crisis response across the region, including $7 million in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to support 84,500 children and adolescents from Venezuela and host-communities back into protective, quality learning environments.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
6398
Session
2019-19
Subjects
Refugees Venezuela
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk