IOM is committed to supporting safe and dignified migration, access to long-term socioeconomic integration and inclusion, and humanitarian and protection assistance in the 17 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean included in the 2025- 2026 Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP). As co-lead of the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform (R4V) and through the coordination and implementation of the 2025- 2026 RMRP, IOM will reach migrants, refugees and host communities. Additionally, IOM will enhance inter-agency coordination, the use of data to inform planning and programming, and advocacy for regularization and mainstreaming migration across policies.

Never in modern history has Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) experienced such a large-scale movement of migrants and refugees. Since 2018, an unprecedented number of migrants and refugees from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (hereinafter “Venezuela”) have left their country of origin, driven by continuously challenging political, socioeconomic, and human rights dynamics.
Since 2015, the number of Venezuelans living outside their country worldwide has increased from 500,000 to 7.74 million globally and 6.59 million regionally at the end of 2024 (R4V 2024). The prospect of return in the short to medium- term remains unlikely for the majority of migrants and refugees, with the ongoing instability and uncertain political and socioeconomic outlook in their country of origin. The situation is also impacted by the overlap between Venezuelan migratory flows and those of other nationalities in-transit, which are included in the RMRP 2025-2026 in several countries (noting that migrants and refugees in-transit are included in all R4V platforms, except the Caribbean).
The year 2024 witnessed elections in several countries – the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela - and subsequent changes in governments and migration policies across the region. These shifts contributed to an increase in the number of stranded migrants and refugees across the region. The ongoing migration situation, coupled with the evolving political dynamics in host countries, the long-term economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and disasters in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru (hosting the largest portion of Venezuelan migrants and refugees) has created many challenges for migrants and refugees, including increased xenophobia and stigmatization, gender-based violence, mental health challenges and food insecurity.
Never in modern history has Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) experienced such a large-scale movement of migrants and refugees. Since 2018, an unprecedented number of migrants and refugees from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (hereinafter “Venezuela”) have left their country of origin, driven by continuously challenging political, socioeconomic, and human rights dynamics.
Since 2015, the number of Venezuelans living outside their country worldwide has increased from 500,000 to 7.74 million globally and 6.59 million regionally at the end of 2024 (R4V 2024). The prospect of return in the short to medium- term remains unlikely for the majority of migrants and refugees, with the ongoing instability and uncertain political and socioeconomic outlook in their country of origin. The situation is also impacted by the overlap between Venezuelan migratory flows and those of other nationalities in-transit, which are included in the RMRP 2025-2026 in several countries (noting that migrants and refugees in-transit are included in all R4V platforms, except the Caribbean).
The year 2024 witnessed elections in several countries – the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela - and subsequent changes in governments and migration policies across the region. These shifts contributed to an increase in the number of stranded migrants and refugees across the region. The ongoing migration situation, coupled with the evolving political dynamics in host countries, the long-term economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and disasters in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru (hosting the largest portion of Venezuelan migrants and refugees) has created many challenges for migrants and refugees, including increased xenophobia and stigmatization, gender-based violence, mental health challenges and food insecurity.
The Refugee and Migrant Needs Analysis (RMNA) 2024 reports that approximately 68 per cent of Venezuelan migrants and refugees secured regular migratory status or refugee recognition, benefiting from the regulatory and protection frameworks in host countries. However, approximately 2.3 million remain in an irregular situation. Irregularity results in the inability to access social protection systems, as well as limiting longer-term protection, self-reliance, and socioeconomic integration opportunities.
As a result, migrants and refugees – including those who previously settled in host communities and those who have been newly uprooted due to barriers to regularization and integration, as well as poverty, violence, discrimination, and insecurity – have increasingly resorted to onward movements. This includes traveling thousands of kilometres across LAC, through irregular crossings, on the side of highways, and in hazardous terrain and harsh weather conditions such as across the dangerous Darien jungle, the Caribbean Sea, or the high-altitude terrain of the Andes.
Across the region, migration flows that include both Venezuelan and extracontinental migrants and refugees are characterized by conditions of extreme vulnerability especially related to gender-based violence, protection risks for girls and boys, particularly those who are unaccompanied, as well as family units; lack of access to international protection and exposure to criminal and armed groups in the region. Migrants (both in transit and in destination) are exposed to significant protection risks during their journey and stay, including due to the lack of access to regular channels and the increase of crimes committed by traffickers and smugglers against migrants.
Host governments from the 17 countries under the R4V, including Argentina, Aruba, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curaçao, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay, continue facing challenges in providing socioeconomic integration opportunities to migrants and refugees, particularly with implementing regularization efforts that provide access to essential services and economic inclusion, as well as protection and humanitarian assistance. This underscores the importance of the international community’s support in the ongoing integration and inclusion of in-destination migrants into national contexts while providing humanitarian aid for migrants.
Since 2018, through the R4V platform, the world’s largest coordinated response mechanism, with coverage spanning from southern Chile to Mexico’s northern border, IOM and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have co-led the regional response to the Venezuelan situation in Latin America and the Caribbean. Launched in December 2024, the new RMRP 2025-2026 includes a total of 230 appealing partners, including UN, national and international NGOs, faith-based organizations, migrant-and refugee-led organizations, the Red Cross Movement, academia, and international financial institutions (IFIs).
The Regional R4V Platform, based in Panama, has an established regional decentralized approach to ensure a coherent and coordinated response, by strengthening the coordination of operations in 17 countries in the LAC region that are included in the RMRP. The regional R4V structure is complemented by national and sub-regional platforms, with eight in the region including five national platforms in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, as well as three Sub-regional Platforms in Central America-Mexico (Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico), Caribbean (Aruba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago), and Southern Cone (Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay). Within the regional sectoral structure of the R4V, IOM co-leads the sectors of Shelter, Humanitarian Transportation (within the borders of a country for access to services), Integration, the sub-sector of Human Trafficking and Smuggling, the Accountability to Affected Populations – Communications with Communities (AAP-CwC) Working Group, the Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Community of Practice, as well as leads the Working Groups on Information Management, Reporting and Communications. Similarly to the regional level, IOM maintains co-leadership of numerous sectoral spaces across the R4V’s national and sub-regional platforms.
As co-lead of the R4V, IOM will continue to work closely with the 230 appealing partners of the RMRP 2025-2026 to promote socioeconomic integration and inclusion of migrants and refugees from Venezuela in host countries across the region, as well as provide humanitarian and protection assistance to migrants and refugees from Venezuela, migrants and refugees of other nationalities engaging in onward or transit movement, pendular populations, Colombian returnees, and host community members.
In 2024, the R4V launched the 1) Refugee and Migrant Needs Analysis (RMNA) 2024 and 2) the RMRP 2025-2026.
Since 2018, through the R4V platform, the world’s largest coordinated response mechanism, with coverage spanning from southern Chile to Mexico’s northern border, IOM and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have co-led the regional response to the Venezuelan situation in Latin America and the Caribbean. Launched in December 2024, the new RMRP 2025-2026 includes a total of 230 appealing partners, including UN, national and international NGOs, faith-based organizations, migrant-and refugee-led organizations, the Red Cross Movement, academia, and international financial institutions (IFIs).
The Regional R4V Platform, based in Panama, has an established regional decentralized approach to ensure a coherent and coordinated response, by strengthening the coordination of operations in 17 countries in the LAC region that are included in the RMRP. The regional R4V structure is complemented by national and sub-regional platforms, with eight in the region including five national platforms in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, as well as three Sub-regional Platforms in Central America-Mexico (Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico), Caribbean (Aruba, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago), and Southern Cone (Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay). Within the regional sectoral structure of the R4V, IOM co-leads the sectors of Shelter, Humanitarian Transportation (within the borders of a country for access to services), Integration, the sub-sector of Human Trafficking and Smuggling, the Accountability to Affected Populations – Communications with Communities (AAP-CwC) Working Group, the Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Community of Practice, as well as leads the Working Groups on Information Management, Reporting and Communications. Similarly to the regional level, IOM maintains co-leadership of numerous sectoral spaces across the R4V’s national and sub-regional platforms.
As co-lead of the R4V, IOM will continue to work closely with the 230 appealing partners of the RMRP 2025-2026 to promote socioeconomic integration and inclusion of migrants and refugees from Venezuela in host countries across the region, as well as provide humanitarian and protection assistance to migrants and refugees from Venezuela, migrants and refugees of other nationalities engaging in onward or transit movement, pendular populations, Colombian returnees, and host community members.
In 2024, the R4V launched the 1) Refugee and Migrant Needs Analysis (RMNA) 2024 and 2) the RMRP 2025-2026. The RMNA utilizes harmonized data and standard methodology across the region, and presents the evolving dynamics of all target populations of the response, principally Venezuelan migrants and refugees, as well as outlining needs, broken down by country and thematic sector. It underscores and informs the response outlined in the RMRP 2025-2026. The RMRP 2025-2026 continues to consider the dynamics required to facilitate programming on a mid- and longer-term planning scale through a humanitarian-development-peace nexus (HDPN) approach. This includes immediate humanitarian response activities complemented by the continuation of longer-term activities that meet migrants’ and refugees’ integration needs. Furthermore, IOM is dedicated to enhancing capacities to meaningfully engage with women and girls, ensuring their active participation and addressing their unique needs in all programmes and initiatives.
Since 2018, IOM’s Office of the Special Envoy to the Regional Response to the Venezuela Situation (OSE) has held the role of co-lead of the R4V, a regional coordination and response forum based in Panama, with field operations across 17 countries in LAC. In this role, the OSE has led the way in responding to the needs of migrants and refugees residing and transiting throughout LAC, through the RMRP. IOM has a widespread presence in LAC, in capital cities, border crossing points, and in remote and/or rural areas, which brings an added value to its capacity to implement actions for the inclusion of the most vulnerable population in its programmes.
IOM staff, specialized in emergency operations, health, shelter, humanitarian transportation, protection, socioeconomic integration, and accountability to affected populations (AAP), facilitate the implementation of multi-sectoral and comprehensive support to migrants and refugees from Venezuela, as well as to host governments.
In addition to strong relations with national and local governments, IOM partners with international financial institutions (IFIs) and the private sector, as well as Venezuelan diaspora civil society organizations (CSOs) and associations. Of the 230 R4V partner organizations, IOM is the only organization with physical presence and direct operational capacity in all 17 RMRP host countries.
Across the 17 countries included in the regional Venezuela response, IOM has reached 6.11 million people with multi-sectoral services between January 2019 and September 2024. As a result of generous donor funding, IOM has built capacity and strengthened field presence and operations, with the ability to scale up in 2025 to meet the needs of increasing numbers of migrants and refugees from Venezuela.
The respect, protection and fulfilment of migrants’ rights is at the basis of the objectives and activities set forth in this plan. In particular, the RMRP places the rights and well-being of refugees and migrants and affected communities at the centre of its operations. This means ensuring the protection of migrants across the different activities –whether through humanitarian assistance, integration or strengthening of duty bearers’ capacity. IOM’s activities are guided by the Institutional Approach to Protection and the Gender Equality Policy.
Host governments, and particularly local communities, are the primary responders to the regional Venezuela Situation, having offered protection, humanitarian assistance and socioeconomic integration opportunities to millions of migrants and refugees. IOM continuously coordinates with host governments in the region, at the federal, state, and municipal levels, to ensure responses are complementary to state-led responses, as well as efficient and effective in nature. In that sense, the 17 IOM country offices that make up the regional response have developed a framework of activities that complement the governments’ coordinated response, addressing pressing and unmet needs of migrants and refugees of all nationalities, Colombian returnees, and host communities.
In addition, IOM plays a fundamental role in the coordination of the Quito Process, the regional government-led technical forum to address institutional challenges related to migrants and refugees from Venezuela. The Technical Secretariat, co-led by IOM and UNHCR, provides consistent support to the Pro Tempore Presidency and the member states. The Quito Process has 11 thematic areas: Orientation Centres and Support Spaces (co-led by IOM), Education, Gender Equality, Local Governments and Host Communities, Socio-economic Integration (co-led by IOM), Protection of Children and Adolescents, Refuge/Asylum and International Protection, Migratory Regularization (co-led by IOM), Family Reunification (co-led by IOM), Health; and Human Trafficking (led by IOM).
In 2025, the government of Ecuador will take leadership of the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Quito Process, following Costa Rica’s leadership in 2024. The Presidency of Ecuador aims to continue strengthening the Process as a space for regional discussion and coordination of public policies on the protection and integration of refugees and migrants and their integration with host communities. This is essential in light of the possibility of an increase in the flows of migrants, refugees, and returnees in the region. IOM will continue to support the Pro tempore Presidency through the coordination of the Technical Secretariat together with UNHCR and through technical and financial support in the different thematic areas.











Under the Grand Bargain, and in line with the five pillars of IOM’s Localization Framework, IOM is committed to, and finances, capacity strengthening and mentoring, participation, coordination, visibility and advocacy of partners. Through its role as the inter-agency co-lead, IOM facilitates the participation of locally led civil society organizations and Venezuelan diaspora organizations, including 230 R4V partner organizations of which 125 are civil society/national NGOs, including 64 migrant- and refugee-led organizations and with an estimated 63% of Venezuelan migrant organizations being women led. These partners contribute to community-based planning, coordination and implementation of the response for Venezuela, including the provision of humanitarian and protection assistance and to promote socioeconomic integration and inclusion.
Through its programmatic operations, both at a regional and national level, IOM works with local and national actors (LNAs) including implementing partners, civil society, diaspora and non-governmental organizations, as well as government departments and municipal secretaries, to facilitate capacity strengthening, the development of sustainable processes and subsequent transfer of knowledge.
Under the Grand Bargain, and in line with the five pillars of IOM’s Localization Framework, IOM is committed to, and finances, capacity strengthening and mentoring, participation, coordination, visibility and advocacy of partners. Through its role as the inter-agency co-lead, IOM facilitates the participation of locally led civil society organizations and Venezuelan diaspora organizations, including 230 R4V partner organizations of which 125 are civil society/national NGOs, including 64 migrant- and refugee-led organizations and with an estimated 63% of Venezuelan migrant organizations being women led. These partners contribute to community-based planning, coordination and implementation of the response for Venezuela, including the provision of humanitarian and protection assistance and to promote socioeconomic integration and inclusion.
Through its programmatic operations, both at a regional and national level, IOM works with local and national actors (LNAs) including implementing partners, civil society, diaspora and non-governmental organizations, as well as government departments and municipal secretaries, to facilitate capacity strengthening, the development of sustainable processes and subsequent transfer of knowledge.
For example, IOM together with the Organization of American States (OAS) works to strengthen the soft skills of women leaders of civil society organizations, through virtual workshops and in person meetings on resilience, good practices, motivation and leadership. As a result, the Venezuelan diasporas organizations created a coordination network, which held workshops at the 2023 2nd Regional Meeting of Civil Society Organization Women Leaders, and co-organized the 3rd Regional Meeting of Migrant Women. With IOM’s support, the network will continue to support women-led migrant CSOs in coordination and capacity strengthening, particularly through the co-organization of the 4th Meeting of Migrant and Refugee Women Leaders in the Region. The inclusion and empowerment of female led CSOs allows IOM and other international organizations to expand their framework of action by connecting with reliable implementing partners.
IOM’s localization efforts aim to mitigate risk while mainstreaming community participation to ensure the establishment of mechanisms and networks that facilitate access to comprehensive services and responses.
-
Objective 1Saving lives
-
Objective 2Solutions to displacement
-
Objective 3Pathways for regular migration
Saving lives and protecting people on the move

To contribute towards saving lives and protecting people on the move, IOM deploys the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) and other forms of responsible data to capture, process and disseminate information, particularly needs assessments, to inform the strategic, appropriate provision of humanitarian assistance .To alleviate human suffering while upholding the dignity and rights of RMRP target populations, IOM facilitates access to direct health support, mental health and psychosocial support, food and multi-purpose cash assistance, safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services, shelter and non-food items, with a focus on tailoring assistance to groups with specific needs, such as children, pregnant women, female-single-headed household, older persons, persons with disabilities, indigenous communities, victims of trafficking, gender-based violence (GBV) survivors, and people with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and/or sex characteristics (SOGIESC).
Humanitarian protection efforts, including direct assistance, referrals, and case management for GBV survivors and victims of trafficking in persons (VoTs), are undertaken to reduce and mitigate threats to and vulnerabilities of Venezuelan migrants and refugees, as well as other RMRP target populations.
Finally, through the R4V inter-agency coordination infrastructure, camp coordination and camp management (CCCM) initiatives, support services to local response actors including local civil societies and provision of capacity-strengthening to government counterparts responsible for protection, collective shelter, health, and border management, IOM ensures the quality of humanitarian assistance and response is enhanced. Thus, IOM reduces the risks to and vulnerabilities of Venezuelan migrants and refugees as well as other target populations, while addressing the barriers to meaningful access to essential services, minimal living conditions, protection assistance and humanitarian response.
Driving solutions to displacement

To strengthen the resilience and self-reliance of RMRP target populations, IOM will support economic, educational and social integration and social cohesion. Through ongoing sensitization and capacity strengthening on migrants’ needs and rights, stakeholders will be better equipped to provide access to education, regularization, and essential services. Furthermore, IOM will continue to engage with private sector stakeholders, including regional networks and through the Enterprise Development Fund, to ensure Venezuelan migrants’ inclusion in private sector development, while also supporting entrepreneurship, professional mentorship and labour rights, facilitating sustainable livelihoods. Through the Quito Process, IOM will continue to facilitate the participation of Venezuelan civil society and diaspora organizations in the agenda setting and policy-making process to ensure their inclusion and consideration across member states.
To minimize the adverse drivers and structural factors that compel people to leave their homes, IOM will also work with governments, CSOs, partners and migrants themselves, by raising awareness on disaster risk management, strengthening capacities and providing technical support on disaster risk management frameworks, early warning systems, strategies, guidelines, regulatory documents and formulation of policies and plans.
Facilitating pathways for regular migration

IOM will take a multisectoral, whole-of-government, community-based approach to facilitating pathways for regular migration for Venezuelan migrants throughout Latin America and the Caribbean for Venezuelan migrants. To that end, IOM’s ongoing work with host governments will support the establishment, expansion and improvement of regularization initiatives and access to legal services, facilitating migrants’ access to stability and safety through a regular status, access to jobs in the formal labour market, and to essential services such as health care, shelter, and education.
Furthermore, IOM’s collaboration with the private sector, civil society and government stakeholders contributes to the inclusion of migrants in economic development. Through labour mobility, skills matching and job market placement, as well as capacity building strengthening of governments and the private sector on ethical recruitment practices to prevent exploitation, forced labour and human trafficking, IOM will promote migrants’ access to sustainable forms of income generation and livelihoods. Community-level awareness-raising initiatives on safe migration options, access to legal identity documentation and legal advice, and the risks of certain migratory routes encourage informed decision-making and reduce reliance on irregular migration, ultimately fostering safer and more sustainable migration choices and protection from violence, exploitation and abuse.
Finally, internal relocation programmes, particularly from remote locations to areas with more labour market opportunities and resources, will continue to offer long- term solutions to displacement challenges, including forms of regularization and reunification.
Percentage of funding required contributing to the long term outcomes expressed on IOM's Strategic Results Framework.
IOM’s protection-centred approach prioritizes migrant and refugee rights and well-being in all interventions.
This is achieved through continuous efforts to identify, prevent and mitigate risks and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), facilitate accountability to affected populations (AAP) by promoting community feedback mechanisms (CFMs), and mainstream a gender and rights-based approach. This is done by strengthening UN and civil society partners and national platform members’ capacity to respond and undertake protection-centred measures. Furthermore, AAP and PSEA are among R4V Joint Operating Principles, which apply to all RMRP partners. In line with these principles, all partners are committed to placing affected people at the centre of the response by ensuring that affected communities and individuals are aware of their rights, have access to humanitarian information and are engaged and participate in decisions that affect them. Partners also have a responsibility to establish mechanisms that enable affected populations to identify their priorities, needs, and capabilities, share their perspectives on the adequacy and relevance of the response actions with humanitarian actors, and receive feedback on corrective actions implemented in response to their observations.
IOM’s protection-centred approach prioritizes migrant and refugee rights and well-being in all interventions.
This is achieved through continuous efforts to identify, prevent and mitigate risks and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), facilitate accountability to affected populations (AAP) by promoting community feedback mechanisms (CFMs), and mainstream a gender and rights-based approach. This is done by strengthening UN and civil society partners and national platform members’ capacity to respond and undertake protection-centred measures. Furthermore, AAP and PSEA are among R4V Joint Operating Principles, which apply to all RMRP partners. In line with these principles, all partners are committed to placing affected people at the centre of the response by ensuring that affected communities and individuals are aware of their rights, have access to humanitarian information and are engaged and participate in decisions that affect them. Partners also have a responsibility to establish mechanisms that enable affected populations to identify their priorities, needs, and capabilities, share their perspectives on the adequacy and relevance of the response actions with humanitarian actors, and receive feedback on corrective actions implemented in response to their observations.
IOM has embedded PSEA into the RMRP tools and results and works with leadership to ensure they take ownership of their crucial role in PSEA. IOM's response includes actions such as SEA risk assessments, strengthening of victim/survivor support services, PSEA capacity assessments for partners, the establishment of best practices and accountability mechanisms, the development of regional strategies, and training of trainers.
In addition, IOM facilitates AAP/CwC mainstreaming across all sectors, particularly through the inclusion of CFMs. CFMs enhance the ability of UN agencies, civil society partners, sub-regional and national platform members to respond effectively to the needs of migrant and refugee populations. Key AAP/CwC priorities include strengthening response capacity, ensuring transparent and participatory assessments, and establishing harmonized regional strategies and accountability frameworks. Best practices in feedback management are essential to ensure that voices of affected communities are not only heard but integrated into decision-making processes. CFMs are central to fostering trust and two-way communication, providing migrants and refugees accessible channels to share complaints, suggestions, and feedback.
Outreach campaigns coordinated with the respective sectorial leads inform communities about their rights, safe migration pathways, regularization processes, labour laws, and critical mitigation measures against protection risks including GBV and human trafficking. GBV risk mitigation will be integrated across all interventions in line with IOM's Institutional Framework for Addressing GBV in Crises, to ensure the safety, dignity, and participation of women and girls, and to uphold the do no harm principle. This holistic approach ensures that activities will contribute meaningfully to accountability and the empowerment of affected populations.


Basic needs, including food and multi-purpose cash assistance Priority
Through the provision of basic needs assistance, IOM will continue to support migrants, refugees and host communities including through:
- Providing cash and voucher assistance (CVA) medical care, food and household items, pre-paid cards, and food vouchers to supermarkets with the aim of promoting decision-making autonomy and empowerment;
- Providing hot meals in shelters and communal kitchens, food kits, school lunch kits and food preparation ingredients;
- Ensuring access to nutrition through capacity strengthening of and advocacy with state and community actors on nutrition protocols and lifesaving interventions, as well as awareness raising, counselling and provision of nutrition kits to migrant populations.

Community stabilization and community-driven development
IOM will promote and support community stabilization and community- driven development with a focus on community and academic outreach, as well as awareness and sensitivity campaigns to reduce tensions and promote integration of migrants and refugees within communities. Interventions include:
- Promoting and implementing social cohesion initiatives utilizing culture, art, sports, music, food, fairs and enterprise programing as well as the establishment of community spaces for cultural exchange and communal inclusion;
- Conducting antixenophobia campaigns, anti-bullying initiatives and intercultural dialogues that facilitate inclusion and acceptance;
- Rehabilitating and improving of educational institutions, including infrastructure improvements, provision of equipment and capacity strengthening;
- Enabling self-reliance and integration through language curriculums and school supplies;
- Promoting cultural encounters and exchanges between migrants and the host community through socio-sports learning sessions.

Camp coordination and camp management
IOM facilitates camp coordination and camp management through:
- Strengthening capacity on the Sphere Handbook and the Minimum Standards for Camp Management, collective shelter and temporary accommodation management, as well as disaster risk reduction, housing, land and property, health, protection, integration, WASH, and prevention, aimed at partners, civil society actors and government officials managing shelters and centres;
- Continuing elaboration of technical and operational guidelines, recommendations and tools to key actors to achieve durable solutions and seek exit strategies.

Data for action, insight and foresight
IOM will continue to facilitate the Displacement Tracking Matrix and other responsible forms of data collection to inform assessment of needs, advocacy and strategic planning, including:
- Implementing DTM surveys tools to capture, process and disseminate information through its outputs (reports, maps and dashboards, etc.) on the movements and evolving needs of the Venezuelan population, including profiling of persons intending to return to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela;
- Developing analytical products on regional needs including Joint Needs Assessment (JNA), Refugee and Migrant Needs Analysis (RMNA) and other sectoral data collection and analysis that facilitate activity monitoring, informed strategic planning and decision-making, coordination with local authorities, informed public policy and programing development, and operations responses based on up-to-date and accurate data;
- Developing studies, analysis, instruments, diagnoses and protocols on education, health and nutrition, shelter and living conditions, skills and labour mobility, socioeconomic integration, regularization mechanisms, impacts of climate change and environmental degradation issues affecting migrants and refugees.

Disaster risk management
IOM will facilitate disaster risk management and strengthen disaster prevention and socio-environmental education on geophysical, environmental and climate hazards as well as geographic diversity and climatic patterns at a local, national and regional level through the lens of the Migrants in Countries in Crisis Initiative (MICIC), including:
- Raising awareness among migrant populations on the IOM Intercultural Prepared Family Manual, community risk maps and glossaries, family response plans and disaster response simulation exercises;
- Strengthening capacity of and technical support to government officials, civil society organizations, partners and community leaders on the integration of migrant populations into disaster risk management frameworks, early warning systems, strategies, guidelines, regulatory documents and formulation of policies and plans.
- Supporting R4V partners in the development of contingency plans and tools to respond to changes in migration flows.

Health Priority
IOM will contribute towards access to direct health support and strengthening of health systems by:
- Ensuring access to essential healthcare services, supplies, and medicines for migrant populations, including primary care, communicable and non-communicable diseases, HIV/AIDS, and vector-borne illnesses such as Dengue, Zika, and Mpox.
- Enhancing healthcare service delivery for migrants and refugees by rehabilitating healthcare facilities, strengthening supply chains for medicines and equipment, and deploying healthcare personnel and systems to improve access and quality of care.
- Training healthcare workers, community leaders, and other stakeholders from national and private partners on migrant health care needs, rights and approaches;
- Advocating for the inclusion of Venezuelan migrant and refugee needs in national frameworks, including technical support to eliminate barriers to access and prioritize Venezuelan migrants’ unique health needs, particularly in response to health emergencies;
- Supporting access to information, through campaigns, workshops, and advocacy materials on healthcare rights, disease prevention and healthy lifestyles;
- Undertaking nutrition initiatives, including malnutrition screenings, education workshops, and provision of supplements and vitamins, with a particular focus on children and youth, and pregnant and lactating women;
- Supporting inter-agency coordination and response at the regional and national levels, including supporting studies and data collection, the development of guidelines and protocols, and coordination.

Humanitarian border management and search and rescue
IOM will support humanitarian border management and search and rescue within the scope of the RMRP through:
- Strengthening capacity of border management stakeholders on irregular migrant flows, information management and anti-human trafficking mechanisms;
- Equipping border management facilities with technology, equipment and furniture to ensure proper immigration control;
- Developing and coordinating cross-border protocols to ensure the protection of populations in transit, with a focus on highly vulnerable populations.

Integrated policy support
To provide integrated policy support that facilitates regularization through a rights-based lens, IOM will focus on:
- Producing manuals and guides and contracting consultancies on regularization, migration legislation, and the integration of human mobility in local plans;
- Advocating for the development of policies, programmes and mechanisms that facilitate migrant integration, regularization and protection through dialogue tables and multilateral actions;
- Supporting public policies and national and local programmes aimed at promoting migrants’ rights
- Developing and strengthening of Migration Governance Indices on issues affecting various sectors and countries in LAC;
- Promoting the participation of government officials in coordination spaces at the regional level such as the Quito Process, which harmonizes and coordinates regional recommendations and measures, aimed at guaranteeing safe, orderly and regular migration, with respect and protection of human rights in accordance with national and international regulations as well as the Global Compact for Migration.

Livelihoods and economic recovery Priority
To facilitate access to livelihoods, economic recovery and integration into national workforces for migrants and refugees, IOM will work on:
- Promoting the socio-labour integration of migrants among private sector stakeholders, financial institutions, civil society entities, and relevant government authorities’ through training programmes, outreach activities and sensitization on economic reactivation, corporate social responsibility, labour rights, job placement, financial inclusion, recruitment to the formal labour market, emerging technologies, and market gaps;
- Supporting the expansion of the Enterprise Development Fund (EDF) and private sector development among private sector stakeholders, thus facilitating livelihoods at the community level and supporting local economic recovery;
- Facilitating entrepreneurship engagement, including regularization of businesses, business development, management and marketing training, mentorship, provision of seed capital and in-kind grants, and participation in commercial fairs and markets, competitions, conferences and marketing opportunities;
- Promoting migrant access to information on financial literacy, labour market, workers' rights, job opportunities, employment platforms, economic integration and training on vocational, professional and soft/hard skills;
- Enabling access to employment opportunities through the validation and endorsement of professional degrees and academic certification.

Mental health and psychosocial support
IOM will ensure that vulnerable migrants and refugees, in particular children and adolescents, persons with mental health conditions, survivors of GBV, victims of human trafficking and smuggling and those in-transit, among others, have access to tailored mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) that addresses emotional and other psychological needs, enhances coping mechanisms and promotes mental well-being and resilience through:
- Providing direct support through individual, community-based and group MHPSS care, psychological first aid, referrals, counselling, specialized services (psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, etc.), after-school activities, and child friendly places, with particular focus on women and girls, the elderly, survivors of trafficking/GBV, and people with diverse SOGIESC;
- Providing mental health kits comprised of booklets on mental health and self-care, and stress-releasing tools to facilitate ongoing MHPSS support to promote psychosocial well-being;
- Conducting community and family-level sociocultural workshops and activities such as cultural, sports, artistic, cinema, musical, recreational, and after school activities with migrant children, families and the host community;
- Undertaking information campaigns and psychosocial workshops on MHPSS, mental health, available services and resource and coping mechanisms such as recreational, sports and socio-cultural topics;
- Conducting MHPSS impact assessments for Venezuelan migrants;
- Providing regional and national support to strengthen community-based mental health and psychosocial support mechanisms;
- Training community health agents, humanitarian aid workers, CSOs and other stakeholders in psychological first aid, psychosocially-informed including trauma-informed care, migration health, response to human trafficking and gender based violence survivors with a gender-sensitive and rights-based approach;
- Creating and expanding governmental, local and NGO support networks focused on identification, orientation, counselling, referral and case management of migrants and refugees in need of MHPSS services including for persons with severe mental health problems.

Movement assistance
Movement assistance will be provided, including:
- Providing direct transportation assistance within countries to shelters, health service, protection assistance, education services, employment, and documentation and regularization offices for vulnerable migrants;
- Facilitating family and social reunification, and assistance to stranded migrants, through the provision of humanitarian bus and air transportation from border areas to destination cities within countries, between cities and from isolated areas within country including logistic support and tickets, legal identity documentation, medical fit to travel procedures, pre-departure orientation;
- Developing and disseminating information on safe travel practices, risks, rights and services.

Protection Priority
IOM will facilitate access to protection services with a focus on highly vulnerable migrants and refugees including survivors of GBV, victims of human trafficking (VoTs), unaccompanied and separated children (UASC), people with disabilities, people with diverse SOGIESC, older persons, and those with chronic and/or critical illnesses, among others, through:
- Undertaking data collection, studies and assessments on protection dynamics, including child protection and human trafficking, to inform programing, assistance provision and policy development;
- Strengthening capacity of community and humanitarian actors on prevention and mitigation of violence, exploitation, abuse and/or neglect, protection routes, and case management;
- Strengthening capacity of public sector stakeholders and care facilities in responding to GBV disclosures, VoTs and child protection cases through the provision of financial support, equipment and technical training on the development of referral mechanisms, assessments, minimum standards, management of protection case, identification, referral, response, care protocols, institutional coordination, and rights-based approach;
- Providing direct and comprehensive specialized assistance to GBV survivors, VoT, children and other individuals in need of protection support, including orientation, case management, counselling, referrals (including to shelter, MHPSS, livelihoods and integration assistance), legal aid, psychosocial support, and family reunification for UASCs;
- Raising awareness among migrants, returnees and host community on GBV, VoT and child violence risks, prevention, reporting and services, migrant rights, (re) integration, protection mechanisms, and referral pathways;
- Providing guidance to caregivers on issues of access to children's rights, including: birth registration, access to education, access to healthcare, etc.
- Developing, updating and disseminating good practices, standardized procedures, guidelines, and tools aimed at addressing GBV, human trafficking, child and protection risk prevention and improving access to justice for migrant populations;
- Providing regional counter human trafficking and general protection trainings and technical support to country offices, the Quito Process and the R4V platform;
- Establishing, improving and managing Support Spaces which provide information, guidance and referrals to protection services, humanitarian assistance and/or care and child friendly spaces, particularly at transit points.

Regular pathways Priority
IOM will promote the inclusion of Venezuelan migrants into society and support regular migration channels by:
- Taking a whole government approach to training and capacity strengthening of stakeholders, including government officials, CSOs, R4V partners, public and private universities, and school teachers on the regularization of, and support to, Venezuelan migrants;
- Strengthening access to regularization initiatives, rights and justice through legal advice, orientation and legal identity documentation for migrants, as well as comprehensive support, training and technical assistance for government and border management officials;
- Implementing campaigns that highlight the risks of irregular migration and the use of migratory corridors as well as information promoting national regularization processes;
- Facilitating regularization through the development of migration policies, tools and mechanisms that support integration of migrants into local plans and programing
- Providing capacity strengthening and technical support to government officials to enable safe, orderly and regular migration and regularization;
- Building on the existing pathways of labour inclusion in the formal labour market, IOM will strengthen the capacity of private sector, financial institutions, civil society entities and relevant government authorities’ to include labour migrants in the formal job market, through job placement, trainings, sensitization initiatives and ethical recruitment practices.
- Advocating for the prioritization of Venezuelan migrant needs among national governments and local stakeholders to ensure a rights-based and integration-centred approach.
- Conducting information campaigns on local regularization frameworks, legal services, legal identity documentation assistance and regularization resources.

Shelter and settlements
To mitigate risks of homelessness and situations of extreme vulnerability, facilitate access to safe housing and promote the economic and social integration of migrants and affected populations, IOM will provide support including:
- Distributing essential non-food items (NFI), through in-kind and cash and voucher assistance (CVA) modalities, with specifications based on age, gender, geographic location and other vulnerabilities, such as items to prepare, preserve, eat and drink food, weather-appropriate clothing and sleeping materials, protection items such as flashlights, mosquito nets, first aid kits, and energy efficiency solar powered items;
- Providing temporary and short-term accommodation in collective shelters, individual accommodations and hotels;
- Providing rental support through in-kind or CVA modalities;
- Improving conditions in temporary and collective shelters, and reception centres through repairs, renovations, upgrades, donations and specialized technical advice, to ensure infrastructure meets minimum standards and that safer, more habitable and functional living spaces address specific needs such as accessibility and sanitation as well as foster a supportive environment for quality of life and well-being;
- Raising awareness among migrants on rental security and inclusive tenancy, the right to adequate housing and eviction prevention, and healthy housing (habitability), disaster risk reduction, and housing, land and property;
- Producing reports, policy briefs, information mappings, rental market assessments, and infographics on shelter related topics;
- Strengthening capacity on the R4V Eviction Prevention Toolkit, safety audit, housing, land and property, and other shelter topics as well as contextualization, localization and expansion of guidelines such as Nature Based Solutions for Collective Shelter.

Support services for response actors
Through ongoing coordination with R4V partners, regional stakeholders and donors, IOM will focus on:
- Supporting resource mobilization through technical trainings, donor meetings, field visits, and briefings, visits to project locations, conferences (Solidarity Conference), receptions, and other networking activities including the humanitarian breakfast series;
- Coordinating regional and national R4V functions including regional and national coordination mechanisms and activities, mentoring partners, development of guidance, protocol and strategic materials and resources, visibility initiatives, information management (IM), and capacity strengthening;
- Providing information management support including technical capacity strengthening, Activity Info updates, Joint Needs Assessments, development of guidelines, including all those related to the RMNA and RMRP, aimed at strengthening information management in the region;
- Monitoring and reporting including situation monitoring, indicator achievements, project evaluations, 5W reporting, needs assessments, IM platforms, post-distribution monitoring, reporting on the response, human stories, situation and movements reports, studies and journals, and donor and other reporting activities;
- Managing and maintaning the regional emergency NFI and WASH item contingency stock and pipeline;
- Strengthening capacities of stakeholders to respond to food emergencies, manage communal kitchens, and strengthen infrastructure/ equipment in dining facilities and communal spaces;
- Conducting training and workshops on theory of change and project development, knowledge and best practices exchange.

Water, sanitation and hygiene
IOM will facilitate access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services, items and information for migrants and host communities, particularly at the various points of confluence and communal spaces, through:
- Enabling access to efficient hydration, water, hygiene, newborn and cleaning items through vouchers and distribution of kits tailored to age, gender and vulnerabilities;
- Conducting campaigns and workshops for hygiene promotion and behavioural change strategies among migrants, community leaders, government counterparts and other stakeholders including on water care and storage, disease preventive measures and adequate handwashing techniques, water access, correct use and promotion of hygiene and menstrual hygiene management;
- Establishing, rehabilitating and/or improving WASH infrastructure and facilities in community and public spaces, shelters, and education institutions, including water points, handwashing stations, showers, laundry facilities, toilets, diaper changing stations and safe areas for menstrual hygiene management;
- Providing water through trucks, installment of water tanks in facilities, and distribution of water in containers;
- Providing technical assistance and capacity strengthening to government and community stakeholders on IOM WASH Manuals and WASH guidelines to ensure migrant populations and affected host communities are included in WASH-related public programmes, policies, and budgets.
Argentina, Aruba, Brazil, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guyana, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Trinidad and Tobago
The map used here is for illustration purposes only. Names and boundaries do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by IOM.
Figures are as of November 2024. For more details of IOM's operational capacity in country, please see the IOM Capacity section.