The US action made “all States less safe around the world”, said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the High Commissioner.

Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Ms. Shamdasani rejected the US justification for its intervention on the grounds of the Venezuelan Government’s “longstanding and appalling” human rights record. 

“Accountability for human rights violations cannot be achieved by unilateral military intervention in violation of international law,” she insisted.

“Far from being a victory for human rights, this military intervention, which is in contravention of Venezuelan sovereignty and the UN Charter, damages the architecture of international security…And this is a point that the Secretary-General has also made.”

Ms. Shamdasani explained the High Commissioner’s position that the military operation “violates the fundamental principle of international law (and) the UN Charter, which states that States must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State”.

Calling out abuse

The UN human rights office, OHCHR, was expelled from Venezuela in February 2024, following its consistent reporting on the deteriorating situation there. Independent probes commissioned by the Human Rights Council have also detailed grave and ongoing abuses against opponents of the country’s ruling party.

“The people of Venezuela deserve accountability through a fair victim-centred process,” Ms. Shamdasani said, adding that the rights of the Venezuelan people “have been violated for too long”. 

The OHCHR spokesperson expressed concerns that the instability and further militarization in the country in response to the US intervention might make the situation worse.

A state of emergency was declared on Saturday that restricts the free movement of people, the seizure of property necessary for national defence and the suspension of the right to assembly and to protest, Ms. Shamdasani noted. “We’re particularly concerned, given the record that the Government has in suppressing free speech, protest, freedom of assembly, using the pretext of national security.”

“The High Commissioner calls on the US and the Venezuelan authorities, as well as the international community, to ensure full respect for international law, including human rights,” she said, adding that the future of Venezuela “must be determined by the Venezuelan people alone, with full respect for their human rights, including the right to self-determination, and sovereignty over their lives and their resources”.

One in four Venezuelans need aid

Beyond the political crisis in Venezuela, almost eight million people, or one in four people, need humanitarian assistance today, after years of economic decline, repression and instability.

The UN aid coordination office, OCHA, said that a response plan remains in place requiring approximately $600 million.

“It’s very dramatic what has happened on the political level in Venezuela. But for the broad mass of people, their humanitarian day-to-day situation hasn’t changed that radically,” said OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke.

“So, the situation as it was immediately before [the US intervention] has continued until this day and that is the basis for our work on the humanitarian side going forward this year.”

Out of the eight million identified as needing assistance, 900,000 have “very high” multisectoral needs including food, nutrition, education, health services; “basically all the things that the state of Venezuela has not been able to provide to its citizens for a number of years”, Mr. Laerke said.

The OCHA spokesperson added that Venezuela was one of the least-funded aid operations globally. Despite this obstacle, the UN had managed to reach some two million people with aid in 2025.

Refugees in flux

The situation remains tense for the millions of refugees living outside Venezuela, too, although for the moment there has been no major displacement across the country’s borders linked to Saturday’s US military operation, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.

“Of course, we’re closely monitoring the situation and the border, cross-border movement and then we stand together with other UN agency and humanitarian partners to support the emergency relief effort and to protect the displace people in need as required,” said UNHCR spokesperson Eujin Byun, also in Geneva.

The agency says that nearly 7.9 million people have left Venezuela in search of protection and a better life. The majority – more than 6.9 million people – have found shelter in in Latin American and Caribbean countries. 

UNHCR works in the Americas and beyond to support the inclusion of Venezuelans in the societies that have welcomed them and find solutions, create stability and foster growth and development in these communities. 

The backdrop

• Venezuela has endured years of economic collapse, political instability, hyperinflation and economic sanctions from Washington, compounded by floods, landslides and other climate shocks.
• The recent seizure of President Nicolás Maduro by US special forces has added a new layer of uncertainty to an already volatile situation.
• According to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, 7.9 million people — more than a quarter of the population — need urgent humanitarian assistance.

A large UN footprint

• The UN maintains a broad operational presence in Venezuela, with most agencies active on the ground.
• Work spans food security, healthcare, gender equality, education, decent work, water and sanitation, and peacebuilding.
• Agencies including the World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organization (WHO) and the reproductive rights agency, UNFPA, deliver life-saving aid and help keep essential services running — from food distributions and nutrition screenings to maternal care and clean water projects.
• Following the latest political developments, UN leadership in the country said it is closely assessing needs to ensure support can be scaled up if required.

Human rights under scrutiny

• Venezuela’s human rights situation remains a core UN concern.
• The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) continues to monitor violations.
• Briefing the Human Rights Council last month, High Commissioner Volker Türk warned of deepening repression, citing increased militarisation, threats to journalists and human rights defenders, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances.
• UN investigators have stressed that accountability for long-documented abuses — including extrajudicial killings, torture and sexual and gender-based violence — must not be overshadowed by the current crisis.

Migrants arriving at the Lajas Blancas reception centre in Darien, Panama.

A long-running exodus

• It is too early to know whether recent events will intensify the mass displacement that has unfolded over the past decade.
• Millions of Venezuelans have already fled repression, instability and economic hardship.
• Nearly half of those who have left rely on informal, low-paid work; 42 per cent struggle to afford enough food, and 23 per cent live in overcrowded housing.

Regional response

• The UN refugee agency UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) coordinate a regional response across 17 countries.
• This effort has helped more than 4.5 million Venezuelans in Latin America and the Caribbean obtain regular status, giving access to documentation, protection and basic services.
• The latest regional plan seeks $1.4 billion to reach 2.3 million vulnerable people, focusing on jobs, education, healthcare and protection.

Warao families make their way to the local church in Icacos, Trinidad and Tobago for cash distribution.

The funding gap

• Despite reiterated UN commitment to Venezuelans’ dignity and protection, resources are stretched.
• In 2025, just 17 per cent of the over $600 million required for Venezuela’s Humanitarian Response Plan had been received.
• UN officials warn that without increased funding, aid agencies will be forced to scale back support at a moment of heightened need.

Bottom line:

Political turmoil may dominate headlines, but for the UN the mission is constant: keep humanitarian lifelines open, defend human rights and support Venezuelans — inside the country and beyond its borders — through an unfolding crisis with global consequences

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its emergency response and early recovery plan, outlining priority measures to protect agricultural livelihoods, restore production and strengthen the whole agrifood sector.

The plan links immediate emergency assistance with early recovery and resilience-building.

It prioritises protection of food production for vulnerable rural families and small-scale farmers, rehabilitating agricultural land, boosting core production and supporting more market-oriented and climate-resilient farming.

“Ukraine’s rural communities cannot afford a pause between emergency response and recovery,” said Shakhnoza Muminova, Head of FAO in Ukraine.

“This Plan is designed to bridge that gap – protecting livelihoods now, restoring safe access to land and supporting farmers and rural families to rebuild production.”

Early recovery refers to restoring basic livelihoods and services while emergency needs continue, helping communities move beyond survival and reduce long-term dependence on aid.

Focus on the frontline

FAO said special attention will be given to frontline regions, women and youth, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees, as well as to land affected by explosive remnants such as landmines.

The agency’s current portfolio in Ukraine totals $25.9 million, with most funding directed to emergency and early recovery, but it warned that additional resources are needed to prevent further losses.

“Continued, predictable support is critical to prevent deeper losses and to sustain recovery efforts over time,” Ms. Muminova said.

Civilians at constant risk

The challenges facing agriculture unfold amid continued risks to civilians.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), an older civilian was killed and two others injured in the Kherson region on Monday while waiting for a food distribution.

“It is outrageous that once again a drone strike…killed one and injured two older residents who were at a food distribution point,” said Matthias Schmale, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine.

Humanitarian workers provided first aid, and the injured are receiving hospital care.

“Tents were blown away or damaged, homes collapsed under storm conditions, and personal belongings were soaked,” according to its latest update. 

“In several locations, entire displacement sites were flooded due to inadequate drainage and low-lying terrain.” 

The storms also damaged temporary learning spaces and roads used to bring much-needed supplies into Gaza, where humanitarian efforts continue. 

Better shelter options needed 

During December, aid workers supported some 80,000 families, providing more than 40,000 tents, over 135,000 tarpaulins, and thousands of other items including mattresses and blankets. 

UN partners working in the shelter sector stressed, however, that “tents cannot serve as the primary and sole shelter modality in Gaza, as they provide only temporary cover.” 

They highlighted the urgent need to accelerate the shift to more durable solutions, including repairs to partially damaged homes.  

Lack of land 

They also warned that “lack of land availability is preventing relocation and delaying the scale-up of viable shelter solutions.”  

Furthermore, recent rainstorms have offset some of the gains made during the ceasefire that came into effect in October, and an estimated one million people across the devastated enclave still require urgent emergency shelter assistance. 

Meanwhile, partners working to improve emergency telecommunications reported that last week they finalized the delivery of new equipment to improve radio coverage that had been pre-positioned in Jerusalem awaiting Israeli approval to enter Gaza since August 2024.  

OCHA noted that while this development is critical to strengthen the safety of humanitarian operations, other equipment – including key power-supply solutions – continue to be blocked from entering the Strip.