In the face of the announcement of the signing of a new framework that will govern the United Nations cooperation in Venezuela for 2023-2026, agreed by the National Executive power and the Office of the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in the country, the organizations of civil society that subscribe this statement express our concern about the striking deficiencies and omissions of the document in question.

First, the agreement fails to mention the socio-political context under which cooperation will take place and clarify the basis or scope of the consultations with civil society or other interested actors. In a country with a persisting and deepening Complex Humanitarian Emergency, it is imperative and responsible to consider the social and political conflict as the basis or fundamental cause of the crisis. This cooperation framework should not be instrumentalized to normalize this situation.

Second, the document fails to observe the foundations and contents of the Sustainable Development Agenda. The United Nations cooperation agreements are the most important instrument of the organization for the planning, coordination and execution of actions for the development and promotion of the 2030 Agenda, a commitment assumed by the UN member States in 2015 establishing a set of 17 goals, targets and indicators to advance in overcoming the current and coming challenges for humanity.

The goals of the 2030 Agenda are interdependent and revolve around the observance of human rights and the dignity of people, as well as the eradication of poverty, the promotion of economic development and the protection of the environment under the framework of peacebuilding and cooperation. In fragile contexts with a profound destructuring of capacities due to the weakening of institutions, as is the case in Venezuela today, complying with goal 16, which refers to the promotion of fair, peaceful and inclusive societies, implies a broad effort by the different actors to advance a process of structural reforms that allow the restoration of democratic governance, the rule of law and accountability.

Goal 17 establishes the need for cooperation and alliances that are essential to achieve the agenda’s goals. The cooperation frameworks must express a plan of action based on the reality of the context in which it will be implemented and meet five key objectives:

  • Articulate the collective response of the United Nations system to enable countries to address the problems posed by poverty, inequality, gender and technology gaps, among others, and establish priorities to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda in contexts of deep fragility caused by protracted conflicts, as is the case in Venezuela;
  • Embody the spirit of cooperation and weave alliances that include governments and the rest of the stakeholders, such as civil society organizations, academia and the private sector;
  • Making the motto of leaving no one behind a tangible aspiration by guaranteeing the rights of all people, especially those belonging to groups affected by the Complex Humanitarian emergency, while addressing the structural deprivations of rights;
  • Strengthen the means to ensure inclusion (respect for diversity, participation and people’s rights), especially in sustainable livelihoods (referring to the ability of people to provide for themselves and their families), while addressing the structural causes of inequalities and violence;
  • Ensure that the United Nations teams have the tools to adapt the responses to the scale of the needs and specific realities of the country in question, in order to ensure the fulfillment of the Agenda and guide a process of restoring capacities under the human rights standards and the recommendations of international protection bodies.

Taking into account the aforementioned, the signatory organizations consider it imperative to guarantee the following actions in the framework of the signing of a new cooperation agreement:

  • Formally declare the socio-political context in which the agreement is being signed, in order to facilitate the concerted action of the multiple national actors and international protection and cooperation agencies;
  • Incorporate, in the framework of said context, the set of recommendations made to the Venezuela State by different human rights monitoring and protection mechanisms of the United Nations system in the last eleven years, including the Human Rights Treaty Bodies, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Commission of Inquiry of the International Labor Organization and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, among others;
  • Recognize the structural problems that persist in Venezuela in terms of human rights and justice. The approach to the Venezuelan conflict must prioritize the search for justice as part of the construction of peace. To ensure access to justice for all, it is essential to create and strengthen effective, independent and accountable institutions at all levels, following the principles of human rights in the implementation of goal 16;
  • Understand that achieving democratic coexistence requires building an electoral roadmap that guarantees the holding of genuine elections and incorporates the recommendations made by the Electoral Observation Mission of the European Union and the United Nations Panel of Experts during the regional elections of 2021;
  • Adopt a holistic perspective as the fundamental framework for addressing the problems of countries in situations of protracted crisis, as is the case of Venezuela, in order to articulate humanitarian action, development, the defense of human rights and peacebuilding to provide responses that alleviate the suffering of the people and avert cause more damage, while respecting the mandates and means of each system at all times;
  • Ensure the mechanisms for the active participation of the entire Venezuelan society in the process and facilitate the means for follow-up and accountability so no one is left behind, as set forth in the Agenda, by ensuring interconnection, indivisibility, inclusiveness, and multi-stakeholder cooperation.

Caracas, October 19, 2022.

Signatories:

Organizations:

  1. C Banco del Libro
  2. C CEDISUC
  3. C. Casa del Nuevo Pueblo
  4. C. Reforma Judicial
  5. AC Muévete Venezuela
  6. Acceso a la Justicia
  7. Acción en Positivo
  8. Acción Solidaria
  9. Alerta Venezuela
  10. Alianza Venezolana por la Salud
  11. Amigos Trasplantados de Venezuela
  12. Aquí se habla legal, SC
  13. Asociación Civil de Planificación Familiar
  14. Asociación Civil Los Naguaritos
  15. Asociación Civil Saber es Poder-AsoSaber
  16. Asociación Civil Vida y Luz (Asoviluz)
  17. Asociación Venezolana de Mujeres
  18. Asociación Venezolana de Servicios de Salud de Orientación Cristiana (AVESSOC)
  19. Asociación Venezolana para la Hemofilia
  20. Caleidoscopio Humano
  21. Caracas Ciudad Plural
  22. Cátedra de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado
  23. CECAVID
  24. Cedice Libertad
  25. Centro de Animación Juvenil
  26. Centro de Atención Integral Psicopedagógica Individual
  27. Centro de Desarrollo Humano Sustentable UVM
  28. Centro de Investigación Social Formación y Estudios de la Mujer CISFEM
  29. Centro de Justicia y Paz – Cepaz
  30. Centro para el Desarrollo Humano Sustentable
  31. CIIDER
  32. Civilis Derechos Humanos
  33. Clima21
  34. Comité de DDHH La Carucieña
  35. Comité de DDHH para la Defensa de Pensionados, Jubilados, Adultos Mayores y Personas con Discapacidad
  36. Consejo Comunal Urbanización Miranda
  37. Control Ciudadano para la Seguridad, la Defensa y la Fuerza Armada Nacional
  38. Equipo de Proyectos y Asesoría Social-EDEPA
  39. EXCUBITUS Derechos Humanos en Educación
  40. Federación de Estudiantes de Derecho de Venezuela FEDEVE
  41. Federación Nacional de Sociedades de Padres y Representantes -FENASOPADRES-
  42. FUNCAMAMA
  43. Fundación Agua Sin Fronteras
  44. Fundación Aguaclara
  45. Fundación BENGOA
  46. Fundación FACIU
  47. Fundación Iribarren Lucha
  48. Fundación para la Prevencion de la Violencia contra las Mujeres
  49. Fundación Reflejos de Venezuela
  50. FUNDEMUL VENEZUELA
  51. Globiérnatec
  52. Inclusión Venezuela
  53. INVESP
  54. IPYS Venezuela
  55. Lainet UC
  56. Médicos Unidos de Venezuela capitulo Carabobo
  57. Movimiento Ciudadano Dale letra
  58. MUV LARA
  59. Observatorio de Derechos Humanos del Centro de Animación Juvenil
  60. Observatorio de Derechos Humanos Universidad de Los Andes
  61. Observatorio Global de Comunicación y Democracia OGCD
  62. Observatorio Venezolano DDHH Mujeres
  63. Observatorio Venezolano de Conflictividad Social (OVCS)
  64. Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones
  65. Observatorio Venezolano de Violencias LGBTIQ+
  66. Odevida, Capítulo Venezuela 67. Ong Hombres por la equidad e igualdad
  67. Opción Venezuela AC.
  68. Organización Nacional de Trasplante de Venezuela ONTV
  69. Organización StopVIH
  70. Padres Organizados de Venezuela
  71. Programa Venezolano de Educación-Acción en Derechos Humanos (Provea)
  72. PROMEDEHUM
  73. REDHNNA, Red por los Derechos Humanos de Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes
  74. Resonalia Senos Ayuda A.C.
  75. SINERGIA, red venezolana de organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil
  76. SOS Pacientes Renales
  77. Territorio Gestalt
  78. Una Ventana a la libertad
  79. Unión Afirmativa
  80. Voluntariado Técnico Electoral-VOTE
  81. Voto Joven

Individuals:

  1. Carlos Medina
  2. Carlos Moreno
  3. Deborah Van Berkel
  4. Eglantina Durrego
  5. Elena Hernáiz
  6. Fernando Aranguren
  7. Fernando Coromoto Filindro Zapata
  8. Gabriela Buada Blondell
  9. Gipsy Gómez
  10. Guillermo Ascanio
  11. Humberto Antonio Rodríguez Valles
  12. Jeanette Moreno
  13. José Cortez
  14. José Gregorio Fernández
  15. Juan Carlos Benítez Benfele
  16. Kethy Mendoza
  17. Lorena Liendo Rey
  18. Luisabeth Pernalete
  19. Luzmila Leal
  20. Magaly Huggins
  21. Maleisi Núñez Medina
  22. Morella Alvarado
  23. Paola Marcano
  24. Raúl Azparren M.
  25. Raúl Herrera
  26. Rolando Smith
  27. Saúl Jiménez
  28. Saúl Jiménez Beiza
  29. Soliria Menegatti
  30. Tamara Adrian
  31. Thamar Masroua
  32. Tibisay Betancourt Parra
  33. Vicsaly Lucena

Translated by José Rafael Medina