GENEVA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR and the UN Migration Agency IOM on Wednesday announced the appointment of Eduardo Stein as the Joint Special Representative for Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the region.

According to a statement issued jointly by the two UN agencies, Stein will be working closely and reporting directly to both the UNHCR High Commissioner and the IOM Director General.

"Mr. Stein brings vast professional experience, political leverage and deep knowledge of the region, which will be fundamental to support national government efforts to deal with the protection and solutions needs of an increasing number of Venezuelan refugees and migrants," the statement said.

It added that Stein will be promoting a coherent and harmonized regional approach to the Venezuela situation in coordination with national governments, international organizations and other relevant stakeholders.

"He will work to promote dialogue and consensus necessary for the humanitarian response, including access to territory, refugee protection, legal stay arrangements and the identification of solutions for Venezuelan refugees and migrants," the statement said.

According to the UN figures, with an estimated 2.3 million Venezuelans living abroad, more than 1.6 million have left the country since 2015, with 90 percent of them going to countries within South America.