UN launches appeal to raise $296mn for Venezuela quake relief

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations launched an urgent appeal Wednesday to raise $296 million for Venezuela earthquake relief operations after the death toll from the disaster rose to more than 3,600 people.

There is huge humanitarian need after one of Latin America’s worst earthquake disasters left thousands of people homeless and thousands more still missing, especially in badly damaged La Guaira, where families are still digging in the rubble.

“Donors are already stepping up, and I pay tribute to them, and I thank them,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said during a meeting on the disaster.

“Already, based on the tracking system, the Venezuela response has received $300 million and I appreciate every single dollar of that support, including $115 million received before the earthquake. This leaves us now with a $627 million funding gap to address those urgent needs.

“We do have a clear plan. $296 million needed to reach 1.3 million in socioeconomic need right now over six months. It’s a time-bound plan.”

Caracas also called Wednesday for the release of frozen assets to help raise funds for the country’s recovery.

“We call upon all countries currently holding blocked funds belonging to Venezuela to initiate a plan to release these funds so that they can be used for recovery efforts,” Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto told the UN meeting.

“There are accounts belonging to the Venezuelan state in various parts of the world that have been frozen as a result of illegal sanctions.”

Gil referenced gold held by the United Kingdom and finances frozen by the United States.

The US government has already lifted a number of economic sanctions against Venezuela for four months to facilitate relief operations.

Washington had imposed sweeping economic sanctions on Venezuela, particularly from 2019 onward, in an effort to squeeze the leftist government of president Nicolas Maduro, whom the United States considered illegitimate.

Since US forces toppled Maduro in January, ties with Caracas have improved.

The Trump administration has supported interim President Delcy Rodriguez and has gradually eased sanctions, particularly to facilitate the development of Venezuela’s huge oil reserves.

Nearly two weeks after the 7.3 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes, international rescue teams are ending attempts to find survivors while families scour the ruins for the bodies of their loved ones.

The government updated the death toll on Tuesday to 3,685 and said nearly 17,000 were injured.