Venezuelan migration: 14 countries meet to evaluate the results and the future of the "Quito Plan"

About two hundred representatives from fourteen countries will participate on Monday at the "Third International Technical Meeting on Migration in Venezuela in the Americas", which will take place in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito.

The meeting, which will take place between today and tomorrow, will be the last of its kind to be held in Quito. According to Deputy Minister of Human Mobility Santiago Chávez, the fourth meeting will be transferred to Argentina and later the process will continue in other countries.

The meeting will be held at the Najas Palace, headquarters of the Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility, and will be inaugurated by Chancellor José Valencia.

In the meeting 22 countries were invited as observers; United Nations agencies, such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

As well, international and financial organizations such as the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Andean Development Corporation (CAF).

The invitation was also sent to regional entities such as the Organization of American States (OAS), the Andean Community, the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the International Red Cross.

Eduardo Stein, Joint Special Representative of UNHCR and IOM for Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants, will present at the meeting the report of the Regional Platform for Interagency Coordination for Refugees and Migrants in Venezuela.

In turn, the evaluation of the "Quito process" will be carried out; there will be an exchange of information between the participating countries; and we will talk about the Subregional Technical Workshop on Migrant Registration Mechanisms, developed a few weeks ago by Ecuador.

The meeting will also address issues related to travel documents of Venezuelan citizens, particularly in Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The first day of the Third Meeting will culminate with the concert of the Ecuador Youth Orchestra, led by Brazilian teacher Diego Carneiro, and on April 9, countries will adopt a statement document taking up the themes and the agreed commitments.

Ecuador held two international meetings on Venezuelan migration: the first of 3 and 4 September 2018, which culminated in the Quito Declaration on Human Mobility, and the second of 22 and 23 November 2018. derived from the "Plan de Quito ".

In addition, last week, Quito hosted the second meeting of the International Contact Group (ICG), a meeting of high-level delegations from 16 countries of the Americas and the Americas, which met for the first time on last month in Montevideo.

The meeting ended with a declaration containing proposals for electoral compliance and a roadmap for holding elections in the Caribbean country.

The crisis in Venezuela has been aggravated since 10 January, when its president, Nicolás Maduro, took over the post after winning the elections last May, unrecognized by the international community.

On 23 January, the head of the Parliament, Juan Guaidó, declared himself president responsible for the organization of free and democratic elections, for which he enjoyed the support of fifty countries.

During a session with shouts of "paredón" and requests from "people's courts" to try the opponents, the ANC approved without expressly expressing the waiver of Guaidó's immunity after the & # 39; 39, accused of acts of terrorism and crimes against humanity.

(With information from EFE)