In April 2018, the United Nations Secretary-General issued guidelines for UNHCR and IOM to lead the response to the situation of refugees and migrants from Venezuela in 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Following this direction, the R4V (Response for Venezuelans) Regional Interagency Coordination Platform was created as a forum to coordinate the actions of UN agencies and civil society organizations aimed at promoting access to rights, basic services, protection, self-sufficiency and socioeconomic integration for these persons, as well as their host communities.

Each year, the R4V Platform prepares and implements a Refugees and Migrants Response Plan (RMRP), a budgetary and programmatic framework in support of the efforts of national governments in the region. This document represents an integrated humanitarian strategy that allows for coherence and complementarity in the response of partner organizations, allowing for a balance between interventions focused on immediate emergency assistance and actions that allow for the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, responding to needs for resilience and long-term integration.

A National Platform was established in Brazil with 55 partner organizations (including United Nations agencies, funds and programs and Civil Society Organizations), and is organized into seven sectors: i) Shelter and Food Distribution; ii) Education; iii) Health; iv) Integration, Interiorization and Humanitarian Transportation; v) Nutrition; vi) WASH; and vii) Protection, which in turn encompasses three subsectors (Child Protection, Gender-Based Violence and Human Trafficking). These sectors hold periodic meetings to define priorities, disseminate standards, monitor activities, outline advocacy strategies and share possible challenges and good practices. Furthermore, the R4V Platform in Brazil has three working groups that focus on specific topics related to: i) Indigenous Peoples; ii) Communication with Communities and Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP and iii) CBI/CVA (Cash Voucher Assistance); in addition to the Coordination, Information Management and Communication Support Groups that work to ensure the harmonious functioning of the Platform.

COORDENAÇÃO

Pedro Brandão

brandao@unhcr.org

Socorro Tabosa

stabosa@iom.int

Ana Gama

agama@iom.int