Latin America and the Caribbean Plans - 2024
Latin America is facing multiple, overlapping crises, making it the second-most disaster-prone and the most socially unequal region globally. Challenges include climate change, poverty, gang-related violence, displacement, and mass migration. In addition, climate-related disasters are becoming more frequent and severe. The ongoing El Niño phenomenon - and its transition to La Niña - exacerbate these challenges through prolonged droughts or intense rainfalls, worsening conditions for the 32 per cent of the population living below the poverty line across the region. Extreme weather patterns have impacted Central America’s Dry Corridor, along with the Andean zones of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, and northeastern Brazil, which faced El Niño related droughts. Volatile storms have also impacted countries in the Caribbean, and Central and North America, leading to reduced agricultural production and food insecurity. Haiti is also grappling with rising violence and food insecurity, further worsening the existing humanitarian needs.
Human mobility, including mixed movements of migrants and refugees, remains a critical issue and is fuelled by poverty, inequality, and violence. The nationality of people on the move is also becoming more diverse. Mass mixed migration impacts countries like Honduras and Panama, which have been filled by the large influx of migrants crossing treacherous areas like the Darién Gap. Haitians are also leaving their country as a result of rising violence and food insecurity.
Since 2019, the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance has tripled in 2024 to reach nearly 40 million people. The UN and its humanitarian partners aim to assist 45 per cent – or 17.7 million - of the people in need in 2024.
Latin America and the Caribbean - People in need and targeted (2019 - 2024)
Latin America and the Caribbean - Requirements and funding trend (2019 - 2024)
Funding requirements
Humanitarian funding requirements in the Latin America and Caribbean region rose by 115 per cent overall between 2019 and 2024. In 2019, there were only three appeals—two for Venezuela and one for Haiti. In 2024, humanitarian plans are in place for Colombia, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala, Venezuela (HRP and RMRP), Grenada, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines .
Venezuela and Haiti have the largest and most consistently high funding requirements over this period, reflecting deep, ongoing crises. Venezuela’s HRP funding needs started high at $222.7 million in 2019, peaked in 2022 at $794.9 million, and then decreased to $617 million in 2024. The Venezuela Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP) saw an even greater rise in requirements - from $737.6 million in 2019 to $1.59 billion in 2024. This plan supports vulnerable refugees and migrants, as well as affected host communities, with their immediate humanitarian and protection needs, and resilience-oriented interventions. Haiti's HRP requirements to address needs caused by chronic instability and natural disasters have fluctuated dramatically, rising sharply from $126.2 million in 2019 to $471.9 million in 2020, dipping to $235.6 million in 2021, and then soaring again to $719.8 million in 2023. In 2024, needs are $673.7 million in 2024. In Colombia, the HRP saw fluctuations but a steady rise overall, from around $210 million in 2020 to nearly $332 million in 2024, indicating increasing humanitarian needs mainly due to migration, internal conflicts and impact of natural hazards.
In Central America, the 2024 appeals for El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras have remained high, in line with previous years due to migration, internal conflicts, and climate-related impacts. The plan for Guatemala, which requires $125 million, was designed to complement ongoing development projects and government efforts. In Honduras, the plan requires $205 million to respond to the needs of 1.3 million people. The response is based on collectively identified shocks that drive humanitarian needs - climate change, violence, human mobility and food insecurity. Response activities are designed to complement ongoing development projects and government efforts. In El Salvador, the humanitarian community aims to assist more than 506,000 of the most vulnerable people (around 45 per cent of people in need) and requires $87 million for the response. The number of people in need for 2024 increased slightly from 2023 due to El Niño-induced drought conditions and the need for protection services in communities that were previously inaccessible.
The additional appeals in 2024 are for Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. These plans were developed in the wake of Hurricane Beryl.
Funding
Despite the overall upwards trend in requirements, funding to humanitarian appeals in the region remains critically inadequate, with only 25 per cent of the required $3.64 billion raised as of end September, leaving millions at risk in 2024 as the region faces both worsening conditions and reduced humanitarian resources. In absolute terms, total funding across the region saw a significant increase from $527.9 million in 2019 to a peak of $1.49 billion in 2023, before dropping significantly to $897.4 million (to date) in 2024.
Recorded funding for Colombia increased steadily from $28.9 million in 2020 to $116.7 million in 2023. The funding as of end September 2024 is $152.9 million, or 46 per cent funded of the HRP requirements.
Funding for the El Salvador appeal peaked at $33.4 million in 2021 and reached $30.8 million in 2023. As of end of September, it stands at $21.4 million, or 25 per cent of the funding requirement. Funding for Guatemala has fluctuated, peaking at $56.9 million in 2022 and dropping to $40.7 million as of end of 2023. As of end of September, the funding stands at $48.4 million, representing 39 per cent of the current requirements. Honduras saw a sharp increase in funding between 2020 and 2022, peaking at $66.9 million, before falling to $47.6 million in 2023. Though the country’s needs have grown, funding remains inconsistent and insufficient. The HRP for Honduras is 31 per cent funded ($62.2 million) as of end of September.
Haiti has experienced substantial fluctuations in funding. After a peak of $193.1 million in 2022, funding continued to rise in 2023 to $245.2 million. As of end of September 2024, funding stands at $264.2 million, which is 39 per cent of the requirements. Venezuela saw significant funding increases over time, peaking at $398.2 million in 2023, but a sharp drop to $104 million has been observed as of end of September 2024. The HRP for Venezuela for 2024 is currently 17 per cent funded, the lowest covered HRP globally. In 2020, the Venezuela RMRP had received the largest amount of funding in the region, peaking at $666.9 million. Despite ongoing needs, so far only 16 per cent of the required funding to assist 2.9 million people has been received. This is significantly lower than in previous years, severely impacting partners’ ability to reach those in-need. The number of those reached to date in 2024 is less than half of those reached in previous years. The two appeals for Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are only 4 and 2 per cent funded, respectively, as of end of September. These figures most likely reflect their only recent inclusion in humanitarian appeals and highlight the modest international financial response to the needs.
Alongside the response plans, the region is spearheading innovative funding mechanisms. The Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) has approved an for Central America’s Dry Corridor. If defined triggers are reached, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras could receive up to $10 million that will make it possible to respond to impending impacts of drought.
Regional Humanitarian Fund in Latin America and the Caribbean
The Regional Humanitarian Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean was established in April 2024 primarily to provide funding to local and national NGOs at the front-line of the humanitarian response in the region. These actors are actively engaged in the Fund’s processes and governance, making it well-placed to address locally identified priorities with local solutions, and to improve context-appropriate humanitarian action and the quality of assistance across the region.
In view of the forecasted spike in humanitarian needs in Haiti, a Haiti Country Envelope has been established with an initial annual funding target of $10 million for the first year. This envelope will provide predictable funding for national partners, which play a vital role in the delivery of assistance. As of end of September, seven donors (Canada, Colombia, the European Commission, Germany, Ireland, Spain, and the United States) have contributed a total of $5 million (paid and pledged) to the Haiti Country Envelope of the RHF for Latin America and the Caribbean. The Colombia Country Envelope has launched its first allocation for $2.5 million to support communities internally displaced and heavily affected by the increased in clashes and conflict between non-state armed groups. This allocation will support communities internally displaced and heavily affected by the increase in clashes and conflict between non-state armed groups. It will also have a strong localization focus by involving communities to identify local solutions.
Venezuela Humanitarian Fund
The Venezuela Humanitarian Fund (VHF) was established in 2020 as a rapid and flexible funding mechanism supporting national and international NGOs and UN agencies in a fast-changing environment. As of end of September, nine donors (Canada, EU, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the US) have contributed a total of $10.8 million (paid and pledged) to the Fund in 2024. Since its creation in 2020, contributions to the VHF have varied, from $5.4 million in 2020 to an average of $12 million per year between 2021 and 2023.
In August 2024, the Venezuelan Humanitarian Fund allocated $8 million for a multisectoral response, with a focus on improving access to health, nutrition and protection services. A priority in this allocation was to incorporate a gender lens to address the gaps that especially affect women, girls, boys, adolescents, elderly, people with disabilities and the LGBTIQ+ population.
References
- The last two are dedicated post-hurricane Beryl appeals.
- There was no appeal for Colombia in 2019.