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What will the normalization of Colombia-Venezuela diplomatic relations mean for Venezuelans along the border? This episode features interviews with human rights defenders, humanitarian workers and journalists in the Venezuelan western border states of Tachira and Zulia, recording during an August visit by WOLA's Geoff Ramsey. They paint a complicated picture of life along the border, and share how conditions in the interior of the country differ from the capital city in Caracas.
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In this episode Geoff Ramsey interviews Venezuelan LGBTI activist and researcher Quiteria Franco, General Coordinator of Unión Afirmativa. They discuss the status of LGBTI rights in Venezuela, which is far behind much of the rest the Americas on issues like marriage equality, adoption rights for same-sex couples, and protections for transgender people. Despite these obstacles, Franco explains how committed activists in the LGBTI community are working for change.
Follow Quiteria Franco on Twitter at @qfranco and see the latest from Unión Afirmativa at www.unionafirmativa.org.ve.
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In this episode of The Venezuela Briefing, Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview Cristina Ciordia of the Center for Justice and Peace (CEPAZ) about the differentiated impact of Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis on women and girls. Ramsey, Martinez-Gugerli and Ciordia discuss the findings of a recent study by Con Ellas on the situation for these groups, and Con Ellas’s recommendations for how to incorporate a gender and diversity lens into the humanitarian response in Venezuela.
Follow the work of CEPAZ on Twitter at @_cepaz, and look out on www.venezuelablog.org for an upcoming report by Con Ellas.
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In this latest episode of The Venezuela Briefing, Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli had the opportunity to interview Francisco Monaldi, a leading scholar on the politics and economics of energy policy in Venezuela. Ramsey, Martinez-Gugerli and Monaldi discuss the state of Venezuela’s oil sector, the recent visit of U.S. officials to Caracas, and the potential return to negotiations in Venezuela.
Follow Francisco Monaldi on Twitter: @fmonaldi
Read the latest report by the Atlantic Council’s Venezuela Working Group, which Monaldi contributed to: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/exploring-humanitarian-frameworks-for-venezuela/
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In this latest, Spanish language* episode of The Venezuela Briefing, Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martínez-Gugerli interview Eugenio Martínez, expert in Venezuelan politics and electoral matters, about the results of the regional elections on November 21, 2021, as well as the repeat elections in Barinas state on January 9. Martínez discusses the implications of this latest electoral process, and of the opposition’s historic victory in Barinas, for the political situation in Venezuela.
Follow Eugenio Martínez on Twitter: @puzkas
*An English transcript of this episode will be made available at a later date.
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In this latest episode of The Venezuela Briefing, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez Gugerli interview Adelys Ferro, a Venezuelan-American community leader and director of the recently-launched Venezuelan American Caucus, a new initiative to mobilize and organize the Venezuelan diaspora in the United States to advocate for comprehensive policies centered around humanitarian needs and democratic efforts in Venezuela. Ramsey, Martinez-Gugerli, and Ferro discuss the current political moment in Venezuela, the goals and objectives of the Venezuelan American Caucus, and the Biden administration’s policy towards Venezuela so far.
Learn more about the Venezuelan American Caucus and see their introductory statement at https://www.venezuelanamericancaucus.com/
Read WOLA’s recent report on the need for humanitarian accords at https://www.wola.org/analysis/how-us-policymakers-can-support-humanitarian-accords-venezuela/
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In this episode of The Venezuela Briefing, WOLA’s Kristen Martinez-Gugerli talks with Lucía Ramírez of Dejusticia and Livia Lenci of Missão Paz to discuss the response to Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Colombia and Brazil. As a follow-up to WOLA’s #StandFor6Million campaign, Kristen, Lucia, and Livia discuss civil society efforts to support fleeing Venezuelans in their host countries, challenges facing migrants and refugees in Colombia and Brazil, and what to expect from presidential elections next year.
See WOLA’s written analysis on the subject at https://www.venezuelablog.org/how-regional-civil-society-organizations-are-showing-solidarity-with-fleeing-venezuelans/
And follow the work of Dejusticia and Missão Paz at https://www.dejusticia.org/en/ and https://missaonspaz.org/
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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. Kristen, Geoff, and Daniel discuss the latest in Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis, what’s on the table in political negotiations taking place in Mexico, and recent efforts to repress the work of NGOs in the country.
Follow the work of Hearts on Venezuela at http://www.heartsonvenezuela.com/
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In the eighth episode of The Venezuela Briefing podcast, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview Venezuelan attorney and human rights defender Beatriz Borges about the latest in Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis and civil society efforts around upcoming regional elections. Beatriz Borges, Director of the Center for Justice and Peace (CEPAZ) provides details on recent developments in Venezuela’s national COVID-19 vaccination effort, access to vaccines through COVAX, and the implications of a March agreement reached with the UN World Food Programme. Borges also discusses recent efforts by Foro Civico to demand minimum electoral conditions and encourage voter participation in upcoming regional and municipal elections in Venezuela.
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In the latest episode of The Venezuela Briefing podcast, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview Venezuelan academic and analyst Michael Penfold about changing dynamics in Venezuela’s political crisis. Following recent concessions from the de facto Maduro government, including the naming of a new electoral council, a historic agreement with the UN World Food Programme, and the transfer of 6 U.S. oil executives to house arrest, Penfold explains what to make of these developments in Venezuela’s current political context. This episode focuses on opposition dynamics, the Biden administration’s policy towards Venezuela, and prospects for a negotiated solution in the short and long term.
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In the sixth episode of The Venezuela Briefing, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview military intelligence analyst Andrei Serbin Pont about the ongoing armed conflict between Venezuelan security forces and Colombian rebel groups in the border state of Apure. Andrei, who is the Director of regional think tank CRIES (Coordinadora Regional de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales), provides insider knowledge on human rights violations being committed on the border, and the implications of the conflict for a future democratic transition in Venezuela.
Subscribe to The Venezuela Briefing on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to receive new episodes as soon as they come out. Don’t forget to rate The Venezuela Briefing five stars and leave a comment with your feedback so we can work to produce the content that you want to hear.
Follow Andrei Serbin Pont on Twitter @SerbinPont
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In the fifth episode of The Venezuela Briefing, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview Venezuelan academic Maryhen Jiménez about recent civil society efforts to push for a democratic transition in Venezuela. Following the emergence of a new coalition known as ‘Foro Cívico’ in February, civil society voices are growing louder and louder in the country, most recently embarking on an effort to name an impartial electoral authority in Venezuela. Ramsey, Martinez-Gugerli and Jiménez engage in a thoughtful discussion about what ‘civil society’ means, and how to best understand and support these recent efforts in the historical and comparative context.
RSVP for the upcoming 'Venezuela Conversa' event with Venezuelan civil society at https://www.venezuelablog.org/venezuela-conversa-construction-of-new-social-pact/
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In the fourth episode of The Venezuela Briefing, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview WOLA colleague Gimena Sanchez and Dejusticia’s Lucia Ramirez to learn more about a recent measure by the Colombian government to provide formal status to Venezuelan migrants living in the country. This permit would offer access to work authorization, formal employment, and health care services for as many as 1.7 million Venezuelan migrants for a period of 10 years. Colombia, which hosts the largest number of Venezuelan migrants and refugees out of any other country in Latin America, announced the decree on February 8. While this is the broadest measure to date to address the Venezuelan displacement crisis, there is far more to be done to protect Venezuelan migrants in need.
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In the third episode of The Venezuela Briefing podcast, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli had the pleasure of interviewing journalist and political analyst Jose de Bastos and international relations and legal expert Mariano de Alba. Jose de Bastos and Mariano de Alba co-host La Venezuela Global podcast, an excellent resource for those following the crisis in Venezuela.
La Venezuela Global podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/la-venezuela-global/id1232491562
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In the second episode of The Venezuela Briefing, hosts Kristen Martinez-Gugerli and Geoff Ramsey interview María Inés Pacceca of la Comisión Argentina para los Refugiados y Migrantes (CAREF) and Rachel Schmidtke of Refugees International to discuss the Venezuelan displacement crisis and the regional response to date.
María Inés Pacceca leads the research team at CAREF, and recently contributed to a report published by CAREF and Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS) entitled Mazes of Documents, which assesses South American countries’ responses to Venezuelan migrants. Rachel Schmidtke is the Advocate for Latin America at Refugees International. Tune in for an engaging discussion between experts on the current situation for Venezuelan migrants, the varied responses by different countries throughout the region, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the rights of migrants and refugees. Subscribe to The Venezuela Briefing wherever you get your podcasts to receive new episodes directly to your feed as soon as they come out.
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In the first full episode of The Venezuela Briefing, Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview Feliciano Reyna, founder and executive president of Acción Solidaria, a Venezuelan humanitarian organization founded in 1995 to address the needs of those with HIV/AIDS. Today, Acción Solidaria continues to provide these services, while working with actors in Venezuela and throughout the hemisphere to address Venezuela's complex humanitarian crisis and advocate for a peaceful and negotiated political solution.
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In this teaser episode, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli introduce The Venezuela Briefing, a new WOLA podcast. Episodes will alternate between the themes of Venezuela's political crisis, the humanitarian emergency, and Venezuelan migrant and refugee rights. Subscribe and leave comments with topics you're most interested in hearing about in future episodes.
