Office of the Spokesperson
Acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Carol Thompson O’Connell will lead the U.S. delegation to the October 28-29 International Solidarity Conference on the Venezuelan Refugee and Migrant Crisis in Brussels, Belgium, hosted by the European Union together with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Deputy Special Representative for Venezuela and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Carrie Filipetti and USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator Amy Tohill-Stull will join.
The U.S. delegation will underscore the United States’ commitment to a democratic transition in Venezuela that brings an end to the tyranny of the Maduro regime. The delegation will highlight the nearly $119 million of additional humanitarian aid to the Venezuelan crisis response announced by Secretary Pompeo on the margins of the UN General Assembly last month. Assistance provided by the United States since Fiscal Year 2017 totals nearly $644 million, including nearly $473 million in humanitarian assistance. In addition to supporting countries in the region who host a combined 4.5 million Venezuelans who have fled their country, U.S. assistance includes nearly $56 million for relief efforts inside Venezuela. The delegates will reaffirm our gratitude to the countries who generously host Venezuelans in need and call on other nations and organizations to do their part in supporting Venezuelan refugees and other displaced Venezuelans, including by joining the historic coalition of 55 countries that recognize the legitimate constitutional government of Venezuela.
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