Finland to provide emergency shelter assistance to Venezuela

Venezuela was hit by two devastating earthquakes on 24 June. Finland is assisting Venezuela by providing emergency shelter assistance through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.

On 25 June, the European Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) sent a call to the members of the Civil Protection Mechanism to provide civil protection assistance to Venezuela. Venezuela has requested international assistance in the form of rescue and medical services and a wide range of materials, including emergency shelters.

Finland will deliver an emergency shelter package (including tents and blankets, among other supplies) to Venezuela through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. This will make it possible to provide emergency shelter to approximately 1,000 people. 

Finland is an active provider of material assistance

The Ministry of the Interior coordinates Finland’s civilian material assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

In recent years, the Civil Protection Mechanism has become one of the central instruments of international assistance. The mechanism covers various natural and human-induced disasters, such as major accidents, chemical and environmental accidents and response to the consequences of terrorist acts. 

Any country can request assistance via the Civil Protection Mechanism if the scale of an emergency or disaster exceeds their response capacity. Assistance provided through the Civil Protection Mechanism is drawn from national resources.

Inquiries:
Kaius Kiiras, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 488 319
Pauliina Eskola, Director of Rescue Services, Accident Prevention and International Cooperation, tel. +358 295 488 263

The email addresses of the Ministry of the Interior are in the format firstname.lastname@gov.fi.