Venezuela crisis: UN aid efforts continue amid political turmoil

The background

• Venezuela has endured years economic collapse, political instability, hyperinflation and economic sanctions from Washingtonexacerbated by floods, landslides and other climate shocks.
• The recent seizure of President Nicolás Maduro by US special forces has added a new layer of uncertainty to the already volatile situation.
• According to the UN Aid Coordination Office OCHA, 7.9 million people – more than a quarter of the population – is in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

A large UN footprint

• The UN maintains one broad operational presence in Venezuela, with most agencies active on the ground.
• Work spans food security, healthcare, gender equality, education, decent work, water and sanitation, and peacebuilding.
• Agencies including the World Food Program (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the reproductive rights agency UNFPA provide life-saving assistance and help keep essential services running – from food distribution and nutrition screenings to maternal care and clean water projects.
• Following the latest political developments, the UN leadership in the country said yes accurately identify needs to ensure support can be scaled up as needed.

Human rights under scrutiny

• The human rights situation in Venezuela remains a core concern of the UN.
• The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) continues to monitor violations.
• I briefed the Human Rights Council last month, High Commissioner Volker Turk warned deepening repressionciting increased militarization, threats against journalists and human rights defenders, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances.
• UN researchers have emphasized this liability for long-documented abuses – including extrajudicial killings, torture and sexual and gender-based violence – should not be overshadowed by the current crisis.

Migrants arrive at the Lajas Blancas reception center in Darien, Panama.

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A long exodus

• It is still too early to know whether recent events will intensify the situation mass displacement that has developed over the past ten years.
• Millions of Venezuelans are already fleeing repression, instability and economic hardship.
• Almost half of those who have left rely on informal, low-paid work; 42 percent have difficulty affording enough food, and 23 percent live in overcrowded housing.

Regional response

• The UN refugee agency UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are coordinating a regional response in 17 countries.
• This effort has helped more than 4.5 million Venezuelans in Latin America and the Caribbean are given regular status, providing access to documentation, protection and basic services.
• The latest regional plan aims to achieve this $1.4 billion to reach 2.3 million vulnerable peoplewith a focus on jobs, education, healthcare and protection.

Warao families go to the local church in Icacos, Trinidad and Tobago for cash distribution.

The financing gap

• Despite repeated UN commitments to the Venezuelans dignity and protectionresources are exhausted.
• Just in 2025 17 percent of the more than 600 million dollars necessary for Venezuela’s humanitarian response plan had been received.
• UN officials warn that without more funding, aid agencies will be forced to do so scale back support at a time of increased need.

In short:

Political turmoil may dominate the headlines, but for the UN the mission is constant: keep humanitarian lifelines open, defend human rights and support Venezuelans – within the country and beyond its borders – during an evolving crisis with global implications