‘Help is coming’: UN relief chief briefs on Venezuela quake recovery

“People are in shock and despair; formal meetings are not enough,” he said in a virtual briefing from the capital, Caracas, alongside representatives of the UN, Brazil, Türkiye, United States, Venezuela and the European Commission.

The quakes have killed more than 3,500 people and injured at least 16,740 others, and 6,462 people have been rescued, according to the UN relief agency, OCHA.

Providing a snapshot of ongoing post-quake efforts involving 200 partners across Member States and the UN system, Mr. Fletcher said humanitarian needs remain significant, with many communities requiring relief as search and rescue efforts wind down.

Tonnes of lifesaving emergency supplies have already arrived, but more sustained and coordinated support is needed.

‘Is help coming?’

During a visit on Tuesday in hard-hit La Guaira amid the sounds and sporadic silences of bulldozers and rescuers digging through rubble, Mr. Fletcher recalled meeting a group of mothers who returned to the site daily with hopes that their children would be found.

“Those mothers asked me last night ‘is help coming?’” the UN Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator said.

“Today’s meeting is our response to that. There can only be one answer to that question.”

Ongoing efforts

Recalling that teams from Israel to Mexico had sped to help in those first critical days, he said current initiatives include:

• Healthcare from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
• Shelter and protection from UN agencies for migration, IOM, and refugees, UNHCR
• Youngsters’ needs from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
• Essential meals from the World Food Programme (WFP) and such partners as World Central Kitchen
• Rubble removal and assessments of long-term needs from the UN Development Programme (UNDP)

‘One coordinated plan’

“As we transition from the emergency effort to a wider response, it is essential we have one coordinated plan,” Mr. Fletcher said.

A collective strategy must cover such urgent priorities as food, shelter and rubble removal, along with long-term recovery and development, he added.

He also noted that current needs are compounded by existing challenges as almost eight million people across Venezuela already require humanitarian aid.

Needs going forward

Thanking donors and welcoming their continued support, he asked Member States and donors for three actions:

• Scale up response, with $296 million needed to reach 1.3 million people over the coming six months
• Invest in such basic life-sustaining services as food, education and healthcare based on the national post-disaster assessment
• Sustain donor engagement, sanctions relief and the release of frozen assets

“We have to show that we will answer the question from those mothers: help is coming,” he said. “Let’s demonstrate that global solidarity is as strong as ever and that we will stay the course.”

Find out more about the UN’s response in Venezuela here.

Watch the full briefing here: