Press releases, 17.06.2021

On 17 June the international community came together at the Canada-organised International Donors' Conference in Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants. Patricia Danzi, Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), represented Switzerland. This year, Switzerland will commit over CHF 12 million to humanitarian aid in Venezuela and the region.

A family crosses the Simon Bolivar international bridge from Venezuela to Colombia, after the opening of a humanitarian corridor, in Cucuta, Colombia.
The Venezuelan external displacement crisis is the world's second-largest refugee crisis. © Keystone

Canada hosted an online high-level International Donors' Conference in Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in collaboration with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on 17 June 2021. The country called on the international community to mobilise USD 1.4 billion in financial resources to respond to the world's second-largest external displacement crisis, which has seen 5.6 million Venezuelans fleeing the country since 2015. The current COVID-19 pandemic has compounded the crisis.

Switzerland's long-term commitment
"This year, Switzerland will commit over CHF 12 million to humanitarian aid in Venezuela and the region. This is part of a long-term commitment that increases every year and adds to the amount of over USD 38 million allocated over the past four years," underscored Patricia Danzi, SDC Director General, in her speech at the conference.

Switzerland's humanitarian aid has been supporting Venezuelans in need in their country and in the region since 2017. It focuses on food security, nutrition, education, access to water and sanitation, healthcare and on protecting people.

This Swiss humanitarian aid comes under the umbrella of the country's International Cooperation Strategy 2021–24 and is delivered through financial contributions to Switzerland's multilateral and bilateral partners and through the deployment of experts from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit.

Last year, Switzerland also organised a consignment of 95 tonnes of relief supplies to Venezuela from various Swiss and international humanitarian aid organisations, thus making a substantial contribution to the fight against COVID-19.


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