Locations
Venezuela
Building Resilience
A Unified UN Approach
Venezuela is emerging from a decade-long crisis that devastated its economy and fractured its social fabric. Between 2014 and 2021, the country’s GDP shrank by 75%, while hyperinflation plunged millions into poverty. Basic services like healthcare, clean water, and electricity collapsed. More than 7 million Venezuelans fled the country, and those who remained continue to face daily hardship.
Now, some are beginning to return, drawn by signs of a fragile economic recovery. But return alone does not equal recovery. In fact, early reintegration efforts risked deepening social divides by focusing solely on returnees in a context where over 80% of the population distrusts public institutions.
In response, the United Nations has shifted its strategy. Led by UNDP, UNHCR, and FAO, the UN now works under a unified approach with a range of partners. Where agencies once operated through separate ministries and funding streams, they now collaborate through a shared portfolio design and framework. This shift enables the UN to respond more efficiently and build inclusive solutions that serve both returnees and host communities.
In the past, crisis response in Venezuela often involved external solutions that, while well-intentioned, didn’t always reflect local realities.
Today, the UN is working differently—co-creating solutions with communities by drawing on local knowledge, lived experiences, and existing resources. Through active listening and engagement, the UN is identifying what helps communities thrive and what holds them back. The focus is on leveraging local strengths and investing in community-driven change.
This systems and portfolio approach enables the UN to adapt in real time, address root causes, and shift power to communities—building credibility from within, not imposed from above.
While humanitarian assistance remains essential, it’s no longer the end goal. In Venezuela, emergency response is now seen as a stepping stone toward long-term development.
New institutional models—like co-located service hubs—are addressing immediate needs while laying the foundation for sustainable systems. These hubs are more than distribution points; they are community anchors that bring humanitarian and development actors together under one roof. People can access legal support, employment services, and social protection without navigating a maze of bureaucracy or facing exclusion.
By investing in these integrated spaces, the UN is helping communities move from survival to stability—and ultimately to opportunity.
Community insights revealed that accessing basic services was often slow, confusing, and unequal. Both returnees and long-term residents struggled to get help. When services targeted only one group, it created mistrust and further disconnection.
To address this, the UN is evolving PASOS (Safe Attention, Services, and Orientation Points) into Integrated Service Hubs—a one-stop-shop model designed to ensure everyone can access the support they need.
These hubs consolidate legal, economic, and social services into a single space—making them more accessible, equitable, and efficient. They also bridge the gap between short-term aid and long-term development, while helping rebuild trust between communities and institutions.
A Shared Future, Built on Resilience
By shifting from top-down responses to locally anchored systems, and from emergency aid to long-term resilience, the UN is transforming crisis response in Venezuela. Using systems and portfolio-based approaches, the focus is now on sustainable, community-led recovery. It’s a bold change—and it’s already making a difference.