petitions for refugee cases by 174 Venezuelans. The UNHCR praised Brazil for this significant advancement for the protection of Venezuelans forced to leave their country. The decision was made possible by the National Refugee Committee’s (CONARE) recognition. On 14 June, the Committee recognized that there is an objective situation of serious and widespread violation of human rights in Venezuela. The decision enables the over 100,000 refugee status petitions to begin to be processed for asylum in Brazil. As of 6 December 2019, the decision by Brazil’s National Committee for Refugees (CONARE) on Thursday to accept asylum-seekers on a prima facie basis, gave immediate relief to around 21,000 Venezuelans, waiting for applications to be processed. The Brazilian government continues to respond to the terms of the Cartagena Declaration, particularly with innovative efforts of refugee integration - such as the Chair Commission for Sergio Viera de Mello "Catedra Sérgio Viera de Mello" (CSVM) - providing, open and generous ways to support refugee socio-economic inclusion as part Section III.6 of the Cartagena Declaration. References Human rights instruments Refugees in North America Right of asylum in North America Right of asylum in South America Refugees in South America 1984 in law