UK for UNHCR highlights escalating humanitarian needs after Venezuela earthquakes

New UNHCR assessments reveal food shortages, collapsed basic services and rising protection risks following Venezuela’s devastating earthquakes.

London, 30 Jun 2026 – UK for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, warns that the scale of the crisis following the twin earthquakes in Venezuela is becoming increasingly severe, with food shortages, collapsed basic services and growing protection risks affecting thousands of people.

The worsening situation has been revealed as humanitarian teams reach more earthquake-affected communities. In the hardest hit state of La Guaira, connectivity has been largely severed, basic services have broken down and access to assistance remains constrained.

Initial rapid assessments with survivors by UNHCR have found that half (50%) of respondents are staying with relatives or neighbours, but more than one-third (39%) are having to sleep on the streets or other public spaces, as churches and schools also turn into improvised collective shelters. However, many temporary shelters do not provide adequate privacy, safety or hygiene.

The charity is particularly concerned about children separated from their families and in urgent need of support – 17% of surveyed communities reported unaccompanied or separated children. In addition, UNHCR teams on the ground are finding that people with limited mobility and those with reduced access to digital platforms, such as some older people and people with disabilities, are among the most vulnerable.

The critical needs of the earthquakes’ survivors include food, emergency shelter, safe drinking water and sanitation, core relief items, such as sleeping mats, basic bedding, jerry cans, and protection, including support for unaccompanied and separated children, mental health and psychosocial support, prevention of gender-based violence and documentation.

UNHCR emergency response underway

To support the government-led response, UNHCR is scaling up lifesaving assistance and protection services. UNHCR is moving emergency relief items from its Tachira, Venezuela warehouse to La Guaira for distribution. A humanitarian airlift of 20 tonnes of relief items will be sent from UNHCR’s Panama global stockpile in the coming days.

UNHCR’s urgent work relies on donations, which can be made in the UK via: www.unrefugees.org.uk/venezuela-response/

These deliveries are an addition to prepositioned relief items that have already been distributed by UNHCR’s partner organisations: 400 tents have been used by Caritas Venezuela in Caracas and La Guaira; and solar street lamps and portable lamps have been provided to support search and rescue efforts through partner FUNDAELEC in La Guaira.

Emma Cherniavsky, CEO of UK for UNHCR said: “Right now, thousands of people are dealing with unimaginable loss, of loved ones and their communities. UNHCR is there, working with local authorities and partners to help meet the immediate, essential needs of survivors – water, blankets, finding somewhere safe for families to sleep – as well as with support to handle the trauma they’ve experienced. But more support is urgently needed to help the most vulnerable affected by this crisis.”

UNHCR has been present in Venezuela for more than 35 years, and is responding directly and through its local partner organisations, as part of a coordinated humanitarian effort to support the government-led response.

Venezuela was already facing sustained economic and humanitarian challenges before the earthquakes, and the disaster has deepened existing protection risks for vulnerable people across the country, including thousands of refugees and returnees.

At the end of 2025, Venezuela hosted more than 210,000 refugees, asylum-seekers and other people of concern to UNHCR. In addition, Venezuelan authorities report that 1.2 million people have returned to the country in recent years. There are also 6.9 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants hosted in Latin America and the Caribbean, including 4 million in need of assistance.

To find out more about the situation in Venezuela visit https://unrefugees.org.uk/venezuela-situation or to make a donation visit www.unrefugees.org.uk/venezuela-response/

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For more information please contact: Mona Abdalhafiz [email protected]

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UNHCR’s response to date

UNHCR has rapidly scaled up its emergency response to support earthquake-affected communities across Venezuela by:

Conducting rapid protection and needs assessments across La Guaira, the Capital District, Miranda, Aragua and Carabobo states to identify urgent humanitarian needs and protection risks.

Supporting local authorities with tools and equipment to safely register affected people, identify specific protection needs and facilitate referrals to appropriate services.

Transporting emergency relief supplies from its warehouse in Táchira to the hardest-hit areas, including La Guaira.

Mobilising more than 20 tonnes of additional emergency relief items from UNHCR’s global stockpile in Panama to reinforce the response.

Supporting CARITAS in establishing a humanitarian donation collection and storage centre at the Episcopal Conference premises using UNHCR tents and a rub hall to facilitate aid distributions.

Leading the Protection Cluster response, including a campaign to prevent family separation, identify unaccompanied and separated children, support family tracing and reunification, and strengthen child protection.

Delivering protection services for the most vulnerable, including older people, people with disabilities, women and children, alongside mental health and psychosocial support, prevention of gender-based violence and documentation assistance.

For more details on the numbers of refugees, asylum-seekers and other people of concern to UNHCR in and from Venezuela, please see UNHCR’s latest Global Trends report released earlier this month: www.unhcr.org/uk/global-trends

About UK for UNHCR

UK for UNHCR is the UN Refugee Agency’s national partner for the UK, building solidarity, fostering partnerships and raising funds in the UK to help deliver global humanitarian relief for refugees through UNHCR’s work. www.unrefugees.org.uk

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leads international action to protect people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. It delivers life-saving assistance like shelter, food and water, helps safeguard fundamental human rights, and develops solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home where they can build a better future. UNHCR also works to ensure that stateless people are granted a nationality. www.unhcr.org

UK for UNHCR is a registered charity in England and Wales (registered charity number 1183415).