ReliefWeb

1. Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs Ham Sang-wook attended, as head of delegation of the government of the Republic of Korea, the International Donors Conference in Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in the Countries of the Region amid COVID-19, held in the form of video conference at 23:00, May 26 - 02:00, May 27 (Korea Standard Time).

• The meeting was held to gather support and contributions from the international community to address the Venezuelan refugee and migrant crisis that is deteriorating further due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The meeting brought together the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain, which hosted the meeting, and high-level delegates from about 40 countries, including the ROK, international organizations, and NGOs.

• There has been a continuous, sharp increase in the number of refugees and migrants since the start of the Venezuelan crisis in 2014, and the COVID-19 situations in neighboring countries accommodating most of the refugees (the Republic of Colombia, the Republic of Ecuador, the Republic of Peru, etc.) are also serious.

2. Deputy Minister Ham expressed the ROK government’s solidarity and support for the efforts of the international community and countries hosting Venezuelan refugees to respond to the Venezuelan humanitarian crisis, and pledged to contribute over 3 million U.S. dollars this year to the Venezuelan refugees and migrants, along with humanitarian assistance for the region’s efforts to tackle COVID-19.

• In addition, as President Moon Jae-in announced the ROK’s plan to provide humanitarian assistance worth 100 million U.S. dollars in regard to COVID-19 response at the World Health Assembly on May 18, Deputy Minister Ham stressed that the ROK government will continue to contribute actively to the international community’s response to COVID-19.