The member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) denounce the inaction of the United Nations Human Rights Office and the inadmissible silence of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, in the face of the institutionalized kidnapping and forced retention of children and adolescents from Venezuela in the United States, in flagrant violation of International Law, including International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law, as well as the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the universal principles of child protection.

While Venezuelan families suffer the heartbreaking pain of forced separation, the anguish of uncertainty and the deprivation of the fundamental right to family reunification, the Office of the High Commissioner remains silent in the face of these cruel, inhumane and degrading practices. This behavior validates the impunity of the United States to violate the human rights of Venezuelan and Latin American nationals.

The Office of the High Commissioner fails to fulfill its responsibility to guarantee justice and human dignity, validating with its inaction the impunity of the United States to violate the human rights of Venezuelan nationals, tarnishing the prestige of the United Nations, undermining the credibility of the multilateral system.

ALBA demands the United Nations human rights office, including the OHCHR, to fulfill its duties with objectivity, impartiality and professionalism, and reiterates its unwavering commitment to justice, the sovereignty of peoples, the promotion and protection of human rights on a universal and non-politicized basis, and, most importantly, to the absolute protection of children.

Caracas, July 2, 2025