White Paper: Examining the Claims of Parties in Venezuela's Crisis

This report delves into the multifaceted crisis in Venezuela, examining the legitimacy of claims made by various contending parties. It analyzes the stance of Venezuela regarding international intervention versus internal handling of the crisis, referencing the UN Security Council meetings and debates. The report highlights the humanitarian crisis, including severe shortages and poverty, and discusses the need for international support, while also touching upon the complexities surrounding the status of elections and the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It examines the WTO dispute initiated by Venezuela against the US and the challenges faced in resolving these disputes. The analysis underscores the urgency of the situation and the impact on the Venezuelan people, emphasizing the need for a fresh perspective and adherence to international laws to address the ongoing crisis.

The case of Venezuela: A white paper on the legitimacy of the claims of the contending
parties
A humanitarian crisis of Venezuela can be resolved by international intervention, or it is an
internal matter that should be handled by the existing government of Venezuela. The stance of
Venezuela was strong and clear during the previous meeting of the UN Security Council dated,
26th Feb 2019, the representative of the country clearly stated that the UN is imposing aggression
under the disguise of humanitarian assistance (With Venezuela Buckling under Severe
Shortages, Security Council Emergency Session Calls for Political Solution to End Crisis, as
Divisions Emerge over Path Forward).
(With Venezuela Buckling under Severe Shortages, Security Council Emergency Session Calls
for Political Solution to End Crisis, as Divisions Emerge over Path Forward, 2019).
The bone of contention here is related to the status of the elections. Many countries representing
UN bodies are of the idea that free and fair elections under international supervision are needed.
Venezuela, on the other hand, feels that they can hand their internal affairs, however, they need
international support to survive and restore their economy to support humanitarian functions.
During the last few years, it was the second occasion when UN Security Council addressed the
issue of the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. The stance of the representatives of Venezuela is
firm; they only want support for the restoration of their economy.
The delegates of the UN Security Council discussed this along with voting on the same. The
notes of this debate presented conflicting views about the position of the country as a healthy
democratic society. Currently, the people of Venezuela are suffering from poverty up to extreme
levels. This country is in a need of support from the side of international forces. However, the

shape and forms of this support may vary as per the position of the country from the point of
view of the various nations of the world (Venezuela initiates WTO dispute complaint against US
measures on goods and services).
On the 8th of January, 2019, the representatives of Venezuela circulated a note among the major
countries of the UN Security Council while raising a plea about the wrong assessment of their
economic and political net worth by the US Authorities. Under a dramatic turnaround of the
events in March, the World Trade Organization halted a dispute settlement meeting, under the
pressure of certain countries. WTO raised some questions about the existing “Maduro Regime.”
According to this body, the Maduro government of Venezuela is not a legitimate body and hence
it cannot be considered as a valid party in the settlement of the case of Venezuela. Right now, the
action on the dispute settlement plea of Venezuela is pending, however, the hopes for a resolve
on the issue can be traced back to the outcomes of the previous meeting where 13 countries
voted to address the issue, nine out of them supported the stand of Venezuela and agreed to the
fact that new terms and conditions of the recognition and assessment of the companies economy
should be administered (Miles).
This issue certainly needs a fresh perspective of the world community under the framework of
the international laws prescribed for the same. UN policies of practicing and prevailing the best
democratic outputs to support the cause of humanity should be taken into an account. The current
pending status on the issue can be termed as the case of “justice delayed is justice denied.” The
conditions become even more alarming because innocent humans and underprivileged yet
competent sections of the Venezuelan society are under severe economic pressure because of a

delay in the action caused by UN councils. The spirit of justice identified by UN authorities
clearly states that this organization should serve the interests of the weaker section of the
minorities while serving the opinion of the majority.

References
Miles, Tom. "U.S. objection over Venezuela threatens to halt WTO trade disputes." Business News
(2019): https://in.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-venezuela-wto/u-s-objection-over-venezuela-
threatens-to-halt-wto-trade-disputes-idINKCN1R71KJ.
"Venezuela initiates WTO dispute complaint against US measures on goods and services." Dispute
Settlement (2019): https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news19_e/ds574rfc_08jan19_e.htm.
"With Venezuela Buckling under Severe Shortages, Security Council Emergency Session Calls for
Political Solution to End Crisis, as Divisions Emerge over Path Forward." United Nations
Meeting Coverage and Press Release (2019): https://www.un.org/press/en/2019/sc13680.doc.htm.