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Venezuela’s political and economic crisis has caused the largest  displacement of people in the Western Hemisphere’s history. Those living in Venezuela face limited economic opportunities, poor provision of basic services, restricted access to information, increased levels of violent crime, and food insecurity. These conditions have spurred an exodus of migrants to surrounding countries, where they face new challenges with unemployment, xenophobia, and access to basic services. Migrants also place additional strain on regional host communities struggling from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The BetterTogether / JuntosEsMejor Challenge, a multi-year partnership with USAID and IDB, was created to address these challenges. Since the launch, the Challenge has awarded 34 grants to 32 organizations, 84 percent of which were local organizations. These organizations are working on a wide-range of solutions ranging from supporting access to clean drinking water to promoting economic empowerment, addressing gender-based violence, generating access to information, and meeting Venezuelans’ financial access needs. 

Join us on Thursday, February 24 at 10:00 a.m. ET (11:00 a.m. CCS) for a public, virtual discussion on creative, local, and sustainable solutions to Venezuela’s migration challenges. This event is co-hosted in partnership with USAID and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Simultaneous translation in Spanish will be available for Zoom attendees. 

Agenda

Panel 1: The role of innovation for development and humanitarian affairs

Michael Eddy
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator & South America Affairs Director
Latin American and Caribbean Bureau
USAID

Gustavo Tarre
Executive Director, Venezuela
Inter-American Development Bank

Jamille Bigio
Senior Coordinator, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
USAID

Remarks

Irene Arias Hofman
CEO
IDB Lab

Panel 2: Spotlight on transformative approaches for working with migrants and host communities

International Rescue Committee (IRC) – Colombia

Inclúyeme – Argentina & Chile

Together WI Foundation – Trinidad & Tobago

Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) – Panama

Remarks

Sara Cohen
Director General, South America and the Interamerican System
Global Affairs Canada

Moderators 

Shanna Tova O’Reilly
Senior Manager
USAID Catalyst (JuntosEsMejor) Project
Resonance Global

Diego Area
Deputy Director, Strategic Development
Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center
Atlantic Council

The Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center broadens understanding of regional transformations and delivers constructive, results-oriented solutions to inform how the public and private sectors can advance hemispheric prosperity.

Learn more