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By the end of 2024, Guyana is expected to host 25,000 Venezuelans, including indigenous peoples as well as Guyanese returnees. The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Article IV Consultation Report from December 2023 forecasts a 26.6% growth in Guyana’s economy for 2024. Despite the positive outlook, the IMF’s report advised caution as the economy could potentially overheat, leading to inflationary pressures and an appreciation of the real exchange rate beyond what is sustainable for a balanced economic expansion.
Venezuelans arriving in Guyana have been granted a three-month stay permit upon entry, renewable for additional periods of six months. However, these permits do not authorize legal employment, often leading to the adoption of negative coping mechanisms, increased protection risks, and a lack of selfreliance. Access to public services, including health and education, are available for all, but challenges persist in reaching them. In 2023, R4V partners worked closely with the Guyanese government to support Venezuelans. The government began to translate national exams and textbooks into Spanish and announced its intention to make Spanish a compulsory subject in schools. Meanwhile, partners supported the Ministry of Education to continue offering after-school English as a Second Language classes to Venezuelans and returning Guyanese children.
Despite efforts, Venezuelans in Guyana still struggle with accessing gainful employment and affording basic goods and services such as food, secure and dignified shelter, water and hygiene, and education, particularly in remote areas and for indigenous communities. Limited livelihood opportunities and income-generating options hinder integration, along with language barriers, especially for indigenous populations. By November 2023, food prices were reportedly “astronomically high” impacting the purchasing power of Venezuelans and host community members both communities and host populations and leading to increased food insecurity. Remote areas, particularly in rural and hinterland regions where many indigenous Venezuelans have settled, have been disproportionately affected by food insecurity due to very limited access to land, insufficient infrastructure for food distribution, and the limited rainfall experienced in the country in 2023, which impacted farming and led to increased prices.
While Guyana requires all children to attend school until age 15,1 Venezuelan children, particularly but not limited to those in remote/hinterland areas, often face challenges accessing education due to limited school spaces, lack of transportation, and more. In 2023, the Ministry of Education successfully registered numerous new Venezuelan children in formal education. However, notable gaps in enrollment and attendance persist, both in remote areas and in/close to urban zones, impacting the children’s timely education and integration into communities. Additionally, absence from school can have negative repercussions on children’s social interactions and overall well-being, as well as on heightening language barriers.
Protection concerns for Venezuelans are paramount, with a pressing need for a more durable and stable regular status and documentation. Venezuelan children, especially adolescent girls, are at significant risk of gender-based violence (GBV), trafficking, and other forms of exploitation and abuse, particularly in hinterland regions. Access to essential services like safe spaces, mental health and psychosocial support, legal protection, education, sexual and reproductive health services, and specialized care is limited for them, especially in remote and/or indigenous communities due to logistical, language, and cultural barriers. Women engaging in the sale and exchange of sex as a negative copying mechanism within the Venezuelan community are particularly vulnerable to human rights violations and exploitation.
This situation exists within the complex backdrop of the long-lasting Guyana-Venezuela territorial controversy, aggravated in late 2023. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is yet to make a final ruling but, as Venezuela decided to hold an internal consultative referendum in December 2023 on annexing the disputed territory, upon Guyana’s request the ICJ granted provisional measures to maintain the status quo and prevent escalation. In the Joint Declaration of Argyle in December 2023, and through the establishment of the joint Commission of Ministers of Foreign Affairs to address matters mutually agreed, both nations committed to non-aggression and dialogue. However, restrictions on Venezuelans’ movements within Guyana, as well as difficulties for admission into the country and access to documentation have been reported by partners, suggesting an enhanced sensitivity towards the entry of Venezuelans into Guyana.