Question to the Department for International Development:

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.

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.