UN Migration Agency Says Scaling Up Activities amid Growing Venezuelan Refugee Crisis
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is scaling up its activities to provide assistance to Venezuelan refugees, who are fleeing the growing economic and political crisis in the country, the IOM spokeswoman for South America, Juliana Quintero, told Sputnik.
"Yes, IOM is scaling up its operations," Quintero said, when asked whether the UN migration agency was boosting its response activities amid the escalating situation in the crisis-stricken country.
According to Quintero, the organization is supporting the governments of the neighboring countries where Venezuelans seek refuge through distributing food and emergency kits; helping with medical and physiological assistance, livelihood opportunities and documentation; as well as carrying out campaigns to prevent xenophobia.
Asked whether there had been any new changes in destinations that Venezuelan refugees choose, she noted that "we have not identified new trends in destinations.
Over recent years, Venezuela has been living in a state of a political and economic crisis, which was worsened by a decline in oil prices and US sanctions. Millions of Venezuelans have sought refuge, mostly in neighboring countries.
In December, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that about 3.3 million Venezuelans had fled the political and economic crisis in their homeland since 2015.
On January 23, the political crisis in the country took a new turn when the speaker of the opposition-led Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, declared himself interim president amid ongoing anti-government protests. Guaido's declaration was almost immediately recognized by the United States and some of its allies. EU states were expected to issue a joint statement recognizing Guaido, but Italy vetoed the motion, according to a Sputnik source.
Russia, along with China, Mexico, Turkey, Uruguay and several other states, has voiced support for Nicolas Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela.
