The United States remains the largest single donor of humanitarian and development assistance around the world, including for Venezuelans in need, because doing our part to respond to global crisis situations is a national security priority.
The United States is demonstrating our continued commitment to the Venezuelan people and our response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis caused by the corrupt and illegitimate Maduro regime with the announcement of an additional nearly $348 million in humanitarian assistance. This amount includes nearly $143 million from the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, and more than $205 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development. This additional U.S. humanitarian assistance includes support to the more than seven million Venezuelans with critical needs inside Venezuela, the more than five million who have sought refuge in countries across the region, and the generous communities hosting them. This new funding now brings the total amount of U.S. humanitarian and development assistance toward the Venezuela crisis to more than $1.2 billion since 2017, excluding COVID-19 supplementary funding.
Many Venezuelans continue to struggle to meet their basic needs and U.S. assistance supports the well-being of forcibly displaced Venezuelans. U.S. humanitarian assistance provides access to emergency food, safe drinking water, direct cash assistance, sanitation, and hygiene support, health care, medical supplies, psychosocial support, livelihoods, and protection for vulnerable groups including women, youth, and indigenous people especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We appreciate the efforts of all donors who have committed resources to these life-saving initiatives and encourage both traditional and new donors to increase their efforts to help meet growing needs of crisis responses.
