#VenezuelaMigra: Civil Society Organizations Launch an Action Plan to Protect Migrants and Refugees from Venezuela

We called for a regional response last August 22 and provided clear criteria for it in our September 19 declaration of this year.

Despite the efforts advanced so far, we have noted that greater effectiveness and coordination are still lacking in the regional response in different national and international spaces. To date, there is still little clarity on the continent regarding how best to respond to the needs of three million migrants and refugees from Venezuela in a manner that complies with international human rights protection standards and comprehensive humanitarian assistance.

Meanwhile, situations contrary to human dignity continue to increase in all stages of displacement for many migrants and refugees. Likewise, the specific needs of those migrants and refugees belonging to groups in vulnerable situations or who experience differentiated violent and discriminatory acts have worsened.

In light of this, the Venezuelan Human Mobility Group -of which OBMICA is a member- developed the Civil Society Action Plan on Persons from Venezuela Requiring National and International Protection, which establishes a roadmap for responding in a coordinated manner to this situation.

The document addresses the specific actions required from all actors involved, clarifies state obligations, makes recommendations to states, sets out our commitments as civil society, offers recommendations to other members of civil society throughout the region, and provides recommendations to international organizations and other international allies. All of the above regarding the following central axes:

1. The correct legal characterization of migrants and refugees, state obligations regarding both, the application of the Cartagena Declaration in the Venezuelan context, and mechanisms for regular stay.
2. Cross-cutting actions and a differential approach required for population groups in which multiple factors of discrimination converge, such as gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, among others.
3. Actions required at each stage of displacement - access to territory and guarantee of rights in host communities, through to durable solutions.
4. Finally, a regional monitoring and advocacy strategy is proposed that brings together all actors involved in developing responses to the situation of Venezuelan persons in the context of human mobility.

We trust that this document will be useful for all actors involved in responding to this crisis with a human-rights-centered approach, to other crises currently taking place, and to future migrant and refugee crises that may arise in the region.

For more information about the Venezuelan Human Mobility Group visit: www.movhuve.org