Statement by Venezuelan civil society organizations in relation to the Situation Report on the UN humanitarian scaling-up in Venezuela

Comunicados

Statement by Venezuelan civil society organizations in relation to the Situation Report on the UN humanitarian scaling-up in Venezuela

CEPAZ

mayo 30, 2019

In relation to the recent publication of the first Situation Report on Humanitarian Scaling-up in Venezuela prepared by the United Nations, the undersigned organizations and individuals wish to express the following:

We take note of the fact that for the first time the existence of the Coordination Team for Cooperation and Assistance (ECCA) as the Humanitarian Country Team is publicly acknowledged, which is a clear expression that Venezuela is going through a complex humanitarian emergency alerted for more than 4 years by Venezuelan civil society organizations, before national and international institutions, which demands a large-scale response coordinated by the United

We express our uneasiness not only because of the delayed response of the United Nations System (UNS) to this serious situation that has claimed many lives and caused suffering of Venezuelans, but also due to the fact that the Situation Report is a unbalanced and incomplete document, which leaves out a broad perspective of the seriousness of the complex humanitarian emergency and the needs for relief and attention throughout the country. By privileging only the activities carried out by the UNS, it is impossible to put in perspective the impact of the response in regards to the As it is, the Situation Report can lead to erroneous conclusions about the dimension of what is happening in Venezuela and play against the formulation and implementation of an adequate response proportional to the magnitude of the humanitarian needs of the Venezuelan population.

We express our deep concern and alarm at the fact that the original Situation Report included information that does not correspond to the reality on the ground, which was duly denounced by civil society organizations working in the defense of rights of people with The original version spoke of 10 million HIV medications that had benefited 50,000 people for 3 months in 24 states. Hours after this Situation Report was made public, it was replaced by a new version that corrected the original, noting that 1.6 million tablets were distributed to specialized HIV pharmacies in 24 states, which is expected to start or reactivate the treatment of at least 30,000 people with HIV in the coming months.

The above is a serious fact that concerns us not only because the change was made from one version to another without notice or explanation, but also by the discrepancy between the two versions and the magnitude of this This situation highlights the difficulties of internal coordination and information management by the UN System, which jeopardize the seriousness and transparency of the system, not being up to the demands of the Venezuelan crisis.

We note with concern that in both versions the participation of civil society is highlighted, specifically in the response to HIV/AIDS, when such participation has been impeded by the

Venezuelan State, a fact known to the UNS in Venezuela. Moreover, in recent days there have been reprisals by authorities against HIV activists after a statement was made public denouncing the discrepancy in the figures included in the two versions of the Situation Report released by the United Nations.

We demand that the United Nations team take into account in its operations and activities the context of repression, harassment and institutional weakness that characterizes Venezuela, in particular the reprisals against human rights defenders and humanitarian In this sense, we call for humanitarian action not only to focus on the delivery of aid, but also on the protection of those involved in it, be it delivery or reception.

Considering that the Situation Report must describe the humanitarian emergency, and understanding that its purpose is both to inform and to alert about the scale and scope of the emergency, as well as the gaps in responding to humanitarian needs, we regret that only one mention has been made in a short sentence to the existence of «important humanitarian needs». In addition, it mentions a «draft document of needs overview» that has not been made public to date, even though it was presented by the Relief Coordinator at the Security Council meeting on April 10, 2019, and whose figures were referred to by the UN Secretary General in just a Twitter message, indicating that currently a total of 7 million people have humanitarian needs in Venezuela.

Having access to the aforementioned needs overview, whose figures were used for the Situation Report, is not only vital for the protection of people in Venezuela who are risking their lives, safety and well-being, if there is not a timely, proportional and effective response, but it can also put in doubt basic aspects of independence, accountability and transparency established in humanitarian norms and respect for the right of access to public information in areas of extreme importance for

Finally, those of us who subscribe to this pronouncement have no other purpose than to be part of the search for solutions to the humanitarian emergency in Venezuela. The humanitarian response is a right and an obligation of the State and the international community, framed in protection mandates and adherence to imperative and universal principles of international law, as established by the policies and regulations of the United Nations humanitarian agencies; therefore, we consider that it cannot be lent to ambiguities or deviations from these mandates. In this sense, we are in a position to provide assistance and support but also to make our positions known in the face of any event, action or omission that could distort the

Subscribed by:

C. MÉDICOS UNIDOS DE VENEZUELA
Acceso a la Justicia
Acción Solidaria
ACCSI, Acción Ciudadana Contra el SIDA
ACOANA, Asociación Venezolana para la Conservación de Áreas Naturales
Aconvida
AID FOR AIDS Venezuela
Alianza Colectiva Contra El VIH (ACOVIH Portuguesa)
Amigos Trasplantados de Venezuela
Aprovida Zulia
Asociación Civil Centro de Educación Integral Gurrufio
Asociación Civil Fuerza, Unión, Justicia, Solidaridad y Paz (FUNPAZ)
Asociación Civil Impulso Vital Aragua ACIVA
Asociación Civil Mujeres en Línea
Asociación de Derechos Humanos Amigos de Margarita – ADHAM
Asociación por la Vida (ASOVIDA) Mérida
Asociación Venezolana para la Hemofilia
Asociación Vida y Luz
AVESA, Asociación Venezolana para una Educación Sexual Alternativa
Caleidoscopio Humano
Cátedra de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Centrooccidental Lisandro Alvarado
Catedra de la Paz/Universidad de Los Andes
CENDIF-Universidad Metropolitana
Centro de Acción y Defensa por los Derechos Humanos (Cadef)
Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (CDH UCAB)
Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Metropolitana (CDH UNIMET)
Centro de Investigación Social, Formación y Estudios de la Mujer (CISFEM)
Centro de Justicia y Paz – Cepaz
Centro para la Paz y los Derechos Humanos «Padre Luis María Olaso» UCV
CIIDER Venezuela
Civilis Derechos Humanos
Clima21 – Ambiente y Derechos Humanos
Codevida
Codhez – Comisión para los Derechos Humanos del Estado Zulia
Comisión Nacional de DDHH de la Federación venezolana de Colegios de Abogados del estado Apure
Comisión Nacional de DDHH de la Federación venezolana de Colegios de Abogados del estado Mérida
Comisión Nacional de DDHH de la Federación venezolana de Colegios de Abogados del estado Nueva Esparta
Comisión Nacional de DDHH de la Federación venezolana de Colegios de Abogados del estado Táchira
Conciencia Ciudadana C
Control Ciudadano para la Seguridad, la Defensa y la Fuerza Armada Nacional
ConviteAC
Defensa en Acción
Defiende Venezuela
Espacio Público
EVAH
Excubitus DHE
Federación de Colegios de Bioanalistas de Venezuela
Fénix ONG
Funcamama
Fundación Agua Sin Fronteras
Fundación Arcoíris por la Vida
Fundación Conciencia Por La Vida
Fundación Lucelia
Fundación MAVID
Fundación para la Prevención de la Violencia Domestica hacia la Mujer-FUNDAMUJER
Fundación Parkinson Carabobo
Fundación San Onofre
Gran Familia de la Salud
Gente y Ciudad
Gobiérnatec
Hogar Virgen de los Dolores
Huellas en Positivo Barinas
Instituto Mead de Venezuela C
LaboCiudadano
Laboratorio de Paz
Lara en positivo
Liga Merideña contra el Sida
Médicos Unidos Venezuela Capitulo Carabobo
Médicos Unidos Venezuela capítulo Táchira
Monitor Social C.
Movimiento Vinotinto
Movimiento SOMOS
Observatorio Global de Comunicación y Democracia
Observatorio Penal Mérida -OPEM DDHH
Observatorio Venezolano de la salud
Observatorio Venezolano de Los Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres -OVDHM
Oficina de DDHH del vicariato apostólico de Puerto Ayacucho
Padres Organizados de Venezuela
Proadopción, C.
Programa Venezolano de Educación-Acción en Derechos Humanos – PROVEA
Promoción Educación y Defensa en DDHH – PROMEDEHUM
Provafamilia
Proyecta Ciudadanía C
PSICODEHU, Psicología y derechos
Psicólogos sin Fronteras Venezuela
Red Andina de Organizaciones en DDHH (RADAR)
Red de Acción y Defensa por los Derechos Humanos (RADDH)
Red de Defensores de Derechos Humanos Nueva Esparta
REDHNNA
RedOrgBaruta
RVG+
Sociedad Hominis Iura (SOHI)
Sociedad Medica Maternidad Concepción Palacios
Un Mundo Sin Mordaza
Una Ventana a la Libertad
Unión Afirmativa de Venezuela
Unión Vecinal para la Participación Ciudadana C
Universidad de Los Andes
Vicaría de Derechos Humanos de la Arquidiócesis de Barquisimeto