Brussels, March 17 (EFE).- The European Union (EU) announced this Friday a new contribution of 75 million euros in humanitarian aid to Venezuelan refugees and migrants, within the framework of the international conference in their support that concludes today in Brussels.

European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, announced at a press conference the amount coming from the Community budget, but did not want to advance on the final collection figure expected at the end of the conference. Today.

“Commitments are not a mandatory element to participate in this conference. For us, the most important thing was to maintain the visibility of this crisis, to show that we have not forgotten the humanitarian needs of Venezuelan refugees and migrants,” he commented.

With a crisis like Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine on European soil, Lenarcic said he was “proud” that the EU had “maintained its comprehensive approach to donors”.

“We have not overlooked any other humanitarian crisis because of the humanitarian crisis on our own continent. On the contrary, we have continued to play the role of a global humanitarian donor,” he added.

The commissioner added that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine “has directly contributed to the increase in humanitarian needs around the world, and this poses a challenge for donors”.

The international community is meeting this Friday on the second day of the 2023 International Solidarity Conference with Venezuelan refugees and migrants and their host countries and communities, jointly organized by the European Union and Canada.

Funding committed by the EU will help people in need in Venezuela and communities in neighboring countries hosting migrants and refugees, and will focus on food aid, health, shelter, protection, education and legal aid, among other areas.

For his part, the Canadian Minister for International Development, Harjit Sajjan, announced at the same press conference a contribution of 58.55 million Canadian dollars (40.12 million euros) to meet humanitarian needs and support the long-term integration of Venezuelan refugees and migrants into communities. who host them.

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The conference was organized in close collaboration with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as well as the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela ( R4V) and the main host countries and partners.

The event brings together representatives of neighboring countries hosting Venezuelan migrants and refugees, EU Member States and other donor countries, international and local organizations and the private sector, to address the humanitarian situation in Venezuela and in the region and to renew support for 2023 and beyond, the European Commission said in a statement.

Since 2016, the European Union has allocated nearly €400 million to the crisis in Venezuela as emergency humanitarian aid for Venezuelans in need in the country and those hosted in neighboring countries.

EU humanitarian aid is channeled through UN agencies, international non-governmental organizations and the Red Cross movement, which implement projects covering a wide range of humanitarian needs.

(c) EFE Agency