Humanitarian Crisis in Venezuela.

1. General Assembly
Humanitarian Crisis in Venezuela
Julia Araiz Miranda
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is currently undergoing a social, economic and, last but not
least, humanitarian crisis. The undeniable political field’s influence all over the country has caused
not only an increasing gap between opposition and government, but it has also affected Venezuelan
citizens on a day to day basis. In fact, the controversy has arisen again recently. This very October
2017, regional elections have taken place and both the organization (relocation of voting centers, for
instance) and the results (MUD has asked for a complete audit of the 23 governor races) have been
considered, at least, questionable by national and international entities. Among these, the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) has stated its deep concern about the political situation and the
“humanitarian crisis” in particular.
Actually, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has reported worrying rates of infant mortality (2016
figures revealed 18.61 deaths per 1,000 life births) and denounced shortages of basic medicines and
other crucial and medical supplies. In addition, HRW affirms Venezuela is facing severe shortages
of basic foods that mainly affect lower or middle income families. Food lines for rice, pasta and
flour (used in the country's national dish, arepas) are commonly seen and others basic goods, such
as diapers, toothpaste and toilet paper are scarce. The fact that President Maduro announced in
March 2017 he had asked the UN for help in dealing with Venezuela’s shortages is very telling, as
the government has repeatedly denied a humanitarian crisis that, if admitted publicly, should entail
the entrance of foreign aid.
But foreign aid agencies are certainly part of the solution. Venezuelan government is reluctant to
allowing international help, because during the last decade it has increasingly blamed the
“imperialism” of other countries, such as United States of America. Nonetheless, in this crucial
moment, leaving the political issues apart is a must. The Venezuelan humanitarian crisis requires
urgent measures and immediate actions. Therefore, a basic agreement should be reached to
guarantee basic food and medicine supplies as soon as possible. To get this aim, a negotiating table
is to be established and organizations such as Red Cross, Caritas, WHO, FAO and other UN
agencies (UNICEF, OCHA...) should actively take part alongside government representatives. This
could be the starting point to prevent the diaspora towards neighboring countries and could become

2. an inflection point on the economic field. Once the basic needs of the population are fulfilled, a
second negotiating table could start working on a change, first, of economic strategies and, second,
on a consensus political agenda. These latter ones could count with the participation of opposition
representatives, observers from the Vatican and other Latin American countries or organizations
(Caribbean Community, for example).
Thus, the humanitarian crisis of Venezuela is severe and should be faced with the help of different
international organizations. The endurance of stability involves a reorientation of economic policies
(those carried out up to now have been considered inadequate by well-known members of the
international community) and of political matters, where consensus and agreement should be found
through hours of dialogue, negotiation and advice from representatives from other institutions
mentioned above.