Vaccination rates have steadily increased in Venezuela in recent months, with the assistance of the WHO-linked COVAX initiative and the support of multilateral institutions such as the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) and UNICEF.
Kristen Martinez-Gugerli
Kristen Martinez-Gugerli is the Venezuela Program Associate at WOLA, where she conducts research, facilitates congressional outreach, and provides support for the Venezuela program. Her main areas of interest are conflict resolution and human rights for vulnerable populations. At WOLA, she actively works to advocate for humanitarian assistance to Venezuela, the development of a peaceful and democratic resolution, and the rights of Venezuelan migrants and refugees. Ms. Martinez-Gugerli graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2019 with a BPhil in International and Area Studies and Political Science and a certificate in Latin American Studies.
Venezuela Weekly: Developments from the First Three Rounds of Negotiations in Mexico
Since the government and opposition negotiating teams first sat down for a new round of dialogue in Mexico City in August—the fifth such negotiation process in six years—there has been considerable progress in establishing mechanisms to improve coordination and address urgent aspects of Venezuela’s humanitarian and political crisis.
How Regional Civil Society Organizations are Showing Solidarity with Fleeing Venezuelans
As Venezuela’s humanitarian and economic crisis has grown deeper in recent years, the number of Venezuelan migrants and refugees abroad has surged to almost 6 million. The United Nations reports that 5.7 million Venezuelans have now fled the country, which makes up almost 20 percent of Venezuela’s population. This tragedy is the largest mass displacement in the hemisphere’s recent history.
Episode 9: Humanitarian update and the U.S. role in Venezuela
In the latest episode of The Venezuela Briefing, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview Daniel Cooper Bermúdez, a Venezuelan political scientist, human rights activist, and founder of Hearts on Venezuela, an initiative aimed at raising awareness of Venezuela’s crisis through the translation of the work of civil society organizations for an English-speaking audience.
Venezuela Weekly: CDJ Report Documents Rise in Attacks on Human Rights Defenders
This week, the Centro para los Defensores y la Justicia (CDJ), a Venezuelan NGO that works to defend human rights and document threats to human rights defenders in the country, published a report exposing that a total of 140 individuals and organizations working in...
Venezuela Weekly: Maduro Government and Opposition Sign Agreement Opening Talks
On Friday, August 13, representatives of the Maduro government and the Guaidó-led opposition met in Mexico City to sign a memorandum of understanding, an initial agreement laying out the terms and objectives of a new negotiation process. This dialogue process,...
Venezuela Weekly: Mexican Government Confirms Plans for Negotiations Mediated by Norway
Negotiations between the Maduro government and the Guaidó-led opposition to explore solutions to Venezuela’s political and humanitarian crisis will reportedly begin in Mexico on August 13. On August 5, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador publicly confirmed...
Venezuela Weekly: Foro Cívico Delegation Visits Washington to Discuss Solutions to Venezuela’s Crisis
On Monday, July 26, representatives of Foro Cívico launched a 5-day tour in Washington, D.C. for a public roundtable and a series of meetings with officials in the Biden administration, bipartisan members of the House and Senate, and other relevant actors to raise the profile of Venezuela’s humanitarian and political crisis, and ongoing efforts by civil society to achieve a solution.
Venezuela Weekly: New WOLA-USIP Report Offers Recommendations for Future Negotiations
On July 20, the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) published a joint report highlighting the main lessons learned and subsequent narratives from the most recent effort to negotiate in 2019 under the mediation of...
Venezuela Weekly: Wave of Repression Casts Shadow on Potential Negotiations
In recent weeks, the Maduro government has intensified a campaign of repression and intimidation in Venezuela, arbitrarily detaining prominent figures including Voluntad Popular national coordinator Freddy Guevara and Director of the NGO FundaRedes Javier Tarazona. The heightened repression comes amid renewed speculation regarding potential negotiations
Venezuela Program
Geoff Ramsey
Director for Venezuela @GRamsey_LatAm
David Smilde
WOLA Senior Fellow and the Charles A. and Leo M. Favrot Professor of Human Relations at Tulane University
@dsmilde