BRUSSELS - International actors, aid agencies and governments reportedly pledged $133 million on Tuesday to assist desperate Venezuelans in the throes of a deepening economic and political crisis.

Under President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela has witnessed a mass exodus that led the oil-rich country into a recession in 2014, prompted record-breaking inflation and dried up food resources, as well as health and other basic services.

At the European Union-led solidarity conference in Brussels, a “strong message of support” was relayed to those who fled Venezuela – now estimated at 4.5 million – as well as the countries and communities in Latin America and the Caribbean hosting them.

With 120 delegations in attendance, the EU and its UN partners also reviewed host countries’ best practices and achievements and rallied further international support.