Canada-led conference raises money for displaced Venezuelans

A pledging conference for Venezuelan refugees chaired by Canada today raised about US$1.55 billion in grants and loans to help countries dealing with the world's largest displacement crisis after Syria.

International Development Minister Karina Gould chaired the conference, which saw countries from Asia, Europe and the Americas announce what they were prepared to donate or loan to meet the steep cost of feeding and sheltering Venezuelans who have taken part in a vast exodus from the country under the current government of Nicolas Maduro.

Nearly six million Venezuelans have left their homeland in recent years, fleeing chaos and hardship. About 4.6 million of them are living in other countries in Latin America.

The total raised was less than last year, when governments contributed US$2.79 billion. But more of the money raised this year came in the form of grants rather than loans — US$954 million, compared to US$653 million in 2020.

It's not clear yet how the money will be distributed. Some donors have asked for it to be used in specific ways or specific places. 

The countries with the largest numbers of Venezuelan refugees include Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Chile and Argentina. Many of these countries have experienced particularly deadly COVID epidemics. Peru has recorded the highest per capita death toll from COVID-19 in the world.

COVID hammering Latin America

Most Latin American countries have allowed Venezuelan migrants access to their national health systems during the coronavirus pandemic. The Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) says that had they not done so, they would have encouraged the spread of the virus among their own populations. 

Rather than run their own programs to vaccinate migrants and refugees, international bodies like PAHO and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees have preferred to donate money to governments to help defray the cost of including migrants who are not citizens in their vaccine rollouts.

But in many parts of South America (Chile being a notable exception), there are few vaccines available for either citizens or non-citizens. Only about 3 per cent of people in the region are fully vaccinated and the pandemic has hit the continent harder than any other.

Latin America and the Caribbean have recorded over a million COVID deaths. That's more than a quarter of the world's death total in a region with only 8 per cent of the world's population.

Little or no resettlement

"We're encouraged that the Government of Canada is stepping up with new commitments for the millions of Venezuelans who have been forced from home, and yet this mass exodus remains an under-reported and under-funded afterthought," said Michael Messenger, president & CEO of World Vision Canada.

Venezuelan activists have criticized Canada in the past for admitting very low numbers of refugees (and Venezuelans in general) to the country.

Venezuelans face a very high rejection rate when seeking visas to travel to Canada. That includes Venezuelans who have relatives in Canada, who have been invited to study in the country and those who can demonstrate adequate funds. 

Venezuelan pro-migrant activist Alessa Polga points to the plight of politically-active Venezuelans in Colombia, and especially family members of officers who have defected from the Venezuelan military and National Guard or have been arrested for opposition activities. 

She said those people are at risk in Colombia, where they are subjected to threats and intimidation by Venezuelan regime organs such as the secret police organization SEBIN.

U.S. President Joe Biden in March signed an order extending temporary protection to about 300,000 Venezuelans in the United States.

Canadian officials say the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has not been referring large numbers of refugee cases to Canada.

Polga said nothing prevents the government of Canada from unilaterally resettling Venezuelans in the country, as it did for Syrian refugees in 2016.