EU allocates millions in humanitarian aid for Latin America and the Caribbean
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — The European Commission Wednesday said it has allocated nearly €130 million (US$141.1 million) this year in humanitarian aid for Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC).
It said the funds will address the needs of the most vulnerable people affected by the main ongoing emergencies and that includes €1 million (nearly US$1.08 million) towards the devastating floods in Brazil, which in past weeks have affected 90 per cent of the territory of Rio Grande do Sul.
The EU said that part of the funding will also be dedicated to reinforcing disaster preparedness, as the region is exposed to natural hazards that are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.
“The record numbers of people on the move across the region and the increasing levels of violence in some countries paint a grim picture of the humanitarian needs in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, who is visiting Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.
“With the €130 million in humanitarian aid released for the region this year, the EU remains committed to helping those most affected by the main humanitarian crisis,” said Lenarčič, who later on Wednesday will sign a memorandum of understanding with several regional organisations and governments to increase cooperation in disaster risk management between the EU and LAC.
“And with specific allocations to support disaster preparedness, the EU continues its longstanding partnership with the region in this field. I am convinced that the signature of the new memorandum of understanding will serve to further reinforce this cooperation, making Latin American and Caribbean countries better prepared and more resilient to future disasters,” he added.
In March, the EU announced a €20 million (US$21.7 million) humanitarian aid package and the EU said Wednesday that for the rest of the Caribbean, over €1 million will go to humanitarian aid, notably in response to the migration flows stemming mostly from Venezuela, Cuba and Haiti, and another one million Euros for disaster preparedness.
However, the largest allocation of EU funding is for Venezuela, with nearly €50 million (US$54.2 million). Most of the funding will help tackle the consequences of the protracted humanitarian crisis in the country and its regional impacts, while five million Euros will be dedicated to disaster preparedness.
Other countries to benefit from the EU funding are Colombia, countries of South America, Ecuador and Central America.
