Peru's Foreign Affairs Minister Nestor Popolizio held a meeting with
Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and
Diego Beltrand, International Organization for Migration (IOM) Regional Director for South America, to discuss Venezuelan migration.
The Peruvian official showed gratitude to the UNHCR and IOM for their support aimed at managing the Venezuelan migratory influx through health care systems in Tumbes and the asylum application office in Lima.
Likewise, he stressed the urgency of relying on greater resources in order to properly address the situation, as the Inca country is the second-largest recipient of Venezuelan migrants.
Minister Popolizio informed of a recently-prepared document stating national sectors' additional requirements to respond to the gap caused by the Venezuelan exodus as a result of the humanitarian, political and economic crisis in said country.
Considering the regional impact of this migration, the meeting emphasized the need to address this topic in regional and multilateral spaces —such as the United Nations (UN) and the Organization of American States (OAS).
In this sense, host countries should harmonize migratory policies, a measure Peru has underlined from the beginning.
Grandi acknowledged the Inca nation's regional leadership to manage the influx of Venezuelan citizens, as well as its humanitarian approach and solidarity since it was the first country to create support mechanisms.
He went on to add that UNHCR intends to increase the funds to cope with migration.
(END) FHG/DTK/RMB
Published: 10/12/2018