Funding is crucial not only for the provision of short-term humanitarian needs, but also for investments in host communities, which promote successful refugee integration efforts. International financing can help bolster local infrastructure (hospital, schools, roads, electricity) and expand access to credit for local firms, both of which can help offset possible short-term negative labor market effects caused by the sudden labor supply inflow. In the case of Latin America, where infrastructure is already lagging behind, these investments are particularly important. Recognizing this crucial need, the Colombian government—the largest Venezuelan hosting nation—launched over $230 million in credit lines for infrastructure and private investment in areas with high refugee density, a policy that has not received the attention it deserves. In the same vein, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank have opened up financing to Venezuelan host governments to help support the additional strain on public works. Yet given the scale of displacement, much more funding will be required.
What can we expect in 2020?
Unfortunately, there is no reason to believe that the massive Venezuelan displacement flows will abate anytime soon, so long as Maduro continues to hold power and the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate.
The international community has largely been able to ignore this escalating catastrophe by labeling it as a regional crisis, not yet one of global scope. Yet the failure of the international community to mobilize additional funding to support host nation integration efforts may soon backfire: Some countries in the region, such as Ecuador, Peru, and Chile, have already imposed barriers to entry for Venezuelans, which could cause the refugee crisis to spill over to other regions. What’s more, with growing economic instability and social unrest in much of Latin America, Venezuelan migrants and refugees run the risk of being used as a scapegoat, further adding to xenophobic sentiments that continue to arise in the region.
There are no simple solutions—the crisis is politically complex, protracted, and involves over 17 regional host nations. Yet a key first step must be greater coordination between host nations and donors. While host countries, alongside UNHCR and IOM, have put together a platform for regional coordination (the Quito Process), countries have yet to agree on a comprehensive response plan, both in terms of policies and joint fundraising efforts. Key areas for policy collaboration include improved border management, a unified cross-border identification system, voluntary regional reallocation schemes, and joint infrastructure investments. Venezuelan President Juan Guaido and his interim government must join—and perhaps even lead—regional efforts to search for diplomatic solutions to the Venezuelan refugee crisis, working with the nearly 60 countries that recognize him as the legitimate President of the country—most of which are donor countries.
The Venezuelan refugee crisis has already reached a global scale. It now requires a global response.
Source link : https://www.brookings.edu/articles/venezuela-refugee-crisis-to-become-the-largest-and-most-underfunded-in-modern-history/
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Publish date : 2019-12-09 03:00:00
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