From The Field: Brazil provides model welcome for Venezuelan migrants

Venezuelan migrants are registered at a temporary accomodation centre in Pacaraima, North of Brazil.
© IOM/Gema Cortés
Venezuelan migrants are registered at a temporary accomodation centre in Pacaraima, North of Brazil.
  • UN News

An unprecedented number of Venezuelan refugees and migrants have entered northern Brazil since 2017; the way they have been welcomed and dealt with at a UN-run facility has been praised as a model for the region.

A Venezuelan girl waits at a reception centre in Pacaraima, a city in northern Brazil that lies across the Venezuelan border.
A Venezuelan girl waits at a reception centre in Pacaraima, a city in northern Brazil that lies across the Venezuelan border.

More than 800,000 Venezuelans have come to Brazil in recent years, seeking medical attention, food, and new opportunities.

When they cross the northern border, they are offered overnight accommodation, food, protection, and hygiene services at the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Reception and Support Post (PRA) in Pacaraima as part of the Operação Acolhida, or Operation Welcome programme.

Find out more about Operação Acolhida, and the people it is supporting, here.

© UN News (2023) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: UN News