BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC—The European Commission said Wednesday it has allocated nearly Euro 130 million (one Euro = US$1.29 cents) this year in humanitarian aid for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
It said the funds will address the needs of the most vulnerable people affected by the main ongoing emergencies, including one million Euros for the devastating floods in Brazil, which in past weeks have affected 90 percent 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.
“The release of Euro130 million in humanitarian aid for the region this year underscores the EU’s unwavering commitment to assisting those most affected by the main humanitarian crisis,” emphasized Lenarčič, who later on Wednesday will sign a memorandum of understanding with several regional organizations and governments to enhance cooperation in disaster risk management between the EU and Latin American and the Caribbean.
“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 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 Euro 20 million humanitarian aid package. On Wednesday, the EU said that for the rest of the Caribbean, over one million Euros will go to humanitarian aid, notably in response to the migration flows stemming mostly from Venezuela, Cuba, and Haiti, and another one million Euros will go to disaster preparedness.
However, the largest allocation of EU funding is for Venezuela, with nearly 50 million Euros. Most of the funding will help tackle the consequences of the country’s protracted humanitarian crisis and its regional impacts, while five million Euros will be dedicated to disaster preparedness.
Among the countries to benefit from the EU funding are Colombia, countries of South America, Ecuador, and Central America, each receiving a significant portion of the aid package.
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