In the wake of two devastating powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, 2026, the death toll from the disaster has climbed to 920, National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez confirmed on June 26. As rescue and emergency relief operations get underway, regional development institution CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean – has stepped forward with a major new commitment to support the country’s long-term recovery, launching a dedicated Venezuela Recovery and Reconstruction Fund to coordinate global solidarity and financial support.
The new fund marks an expansion of CAF’s early response to the crisis. The bank had already approved an initial $300,000 in immediate humanitarian assistance to support on-the-ground emergency operations in the hours after the earthquakes hit. For the broader recovery effort, the institution has pledged an additional $1 million in seed funding to kickstart the new mechanism, and will waive all administrative and implementation fees to ensure 100% of all incoming contributions go directly to relief and reconstruction work.
Unlike scattered, uncoordinated aid efforts that often slow disaster response, the new fund is designed to bring together donations from a wide range of stakeholders under a single transparent framework. The mechanism will accept contributions from governments, multilateral organizations, private businesses, philanthropic foundations, individual donors and other global partners, aligning all resources with recovery and reconstruction priorities that have been identified and ranked by the Venezuelan government. This coordinated structure is intended to eliminate duplication of efforts, streamline aid delivery, and ensure funding reaches vulnerable affected communities far faster than fragmented assistance.
CAF Executive President Sergio Díaz-Granados emphasized the institution’s deep-rooted obligation to support Venezuela, which is a founding member of CAF and hosts the bank’s headquarters. “Acts of nature are met with acts of humanity and solidarity, and Venezuela needs us today more than ever,” Díaz-Granados said in a statement. “We are launching this Fund for reconstruction: an agile and transparent mechanism that we invite governments and the private sector to join, so that their contributions, together with ours, become part of an effective response. Our commitment is to accompany the Venezuelan people not only during the emergency, but throughout the entire path of recovery and reconstruction that lies ahead.”
The flexible fund is structured to adapt to the evolving needs of Venezuela’s recovery process across three distinct phases. In its immediate opening phase, all resources will be directed to addressing urgent humanitarian needs: delivering emergency relief supplies, supporting affected populations, and backing the national institutions leading on-the-ground disaster response. As the emergency response transitions to early recovery, funding will shift to restoring critical public infrastructure and services, including healthcare facilities, water and sanitation networks, electrical grids, education systems and communications infrastructure. In the long term, the fund will support community rebuilding projects, restore local livelihoods for displaced and affected residents, and invest in infrastructure upgrades that strengthen Venezuela’s resilience to future natural disasters.
To guarantee full transparency and accountability for all contributors, CAF has structured the fund to keep all donated resources completely separate from the bank’s own operating capital. The mechanism will include project-specific impact tracking, regular public financial reporting, and independent third-party audits to ensure all funds are used as intended. Donors may contribute in either U.S. dollars or euros, and funding can be implemented through pre-vetted eligible partner organizations or managed directly by CAF, depending on what delivery model is most effective for each individual project.
As volunteers across the region, including in nearby Colombian capital Bogota, sort and pack donated food, clothing and essential goods to ship to affected Venezuelan communities, CAF says its longstanding institutional relationship with Venezuela underpins its full commitment to seeing the country through the entire recovery process. The bank will leverage its technical expertise and existing regional networks to mobilize additional solidarity from across Latin America, the Caribbean and the broader international community. Full details on the fund, including instructions for governments, organizations and individuals interested in contributing, are available on the official Venezuela Recovery and Reconstruction Fund website.