UN Appeals For $223Mln For Humanitarian Response In Venezuela - Spokesman

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th August, 2019) The United Nations appealed for more than $200 million to provide humanitarian assistance to the Venezuelan people for the remainder of 2019, the UN Office of the Spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The United Nations and partners today finalized the Venezuela Humanitarian Response Plan, which appeals for $223 million to provide humanitarian assistance to 2.6 million Venezuelan children, women and men until the end of the year," the statement said.

The funds will be spent towards the implementation of some 98 new projects by more than 60 UN agencies and other humanitarian partners to address such needs as nutrition, water, food security, sanitation, education and protection, mainly focusing on the western and southern border regions and the Capital District, the statement said.

Venezuela has long been suffering from a humanitarian and political crisis that intensified in January when, after disputing President Nicolas Maduro's re-election, US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself the country's interim president and Washington stepped up sanctions pressure on Caracas. Maduro has called Guaido a US puppet and accused Washington of orchestrating a coup to force a change of government in Venezuela and claim the country's resources.

Since May, the Venezuelan government and opposition have been engaged in talks mediated by the Norwegian government. However, Maduro decided to not dispatch a team to last week's round citing the Trump administration's cruel and violent aggression.