No Precedent: The Venezuelan Exodus

The unprecedented migration from Venezuela is the largest and fastest displacement of vulnerable people in the world after the Syrian crisis. An estimated 3.7 million people have left Venezuela as of April 2019, according to the International Organization for Migration, and are now residing in neighboring countries including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and other countries across the region. Every day, thousands more are crossing the border, sometimes walking for weeks, fleeing the severe economic and social deterioration in Venezuela that has led to a humanitarian crisis. This massive exodus IS the second largest displacement in the world and is unprecedented in the recent history of Latin America and the Caribbean. A high-level panel of experts discussed the implications, and potential opportunities, for both migrants and the countries and communities hosting them. They also analyzed how the region can manage this massive exodus and mobilize international support to complement the efforts of the countries in the region. The panelists were Alberto Carrasquilla (Minister of Finance, Colombia), Richard Martínez (Minister of Economy and Finance, Ecuador), Maryam Monsef (Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality, Canada), Eduardo Stein (UN Special Representative for Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the region), and Axel van Trotsenburg, (Vice President, Latin America and the Caribbean, World Bank).