U.S. to Contribute $125 Million in Refugee Aid

U.S. to Contribute $125 Million in Refugee Aid

By MacKenzie C. Babb
Staff Writer

Washington - The United States will contribute $125 million toward the 2011 budget of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), according to the Department of State.

The department announced the contribution in a press release February 11 and said the funding will go toward supporting UNHCR efforts worldwide.

"These efforts include refugee returns to such places as Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo; local integration and resettlement; and protection and life-saving assistance," the State Department announcement said.

The refugee contributions will be funded through the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration and will support "the provision of water, shelter, food, healthcare and education to refugees, internally displaced persons and persons under UNHCR's care and protection" in countries such as Iraq, Syria, Colombia, Ecuador, Thailand, Nepal, Pakistan, Sudan, Chad, Kenya and Uganda.

Africa is set to receive more than $46 million of the total, according to the release. The second-highest sum, more than $42 million, has been earmarked for countries in the Middle East. More than $17 million will go to the Asia and Pacific region, roughly $4 million to Europe and about $2.5 million to countries in the Western Hemisphere. The UNHCR headquarters and its funds for global operations and emergency response activities are scheduled to receive a total of about $12 million.

The State Department said December 2010 marked the 60th anniversary of the creation of the UNHCR, an entity mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and solve refugee problems worldwide. According to its website, the UNHCR "strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another state, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country." It added that the agency currently helps more than 34 million people across at least 110 countries.

The United States salutes the "vital and courageous work of the UNHCR, its many [nongovernmental organization] partners and refugee hosting countries in providing protection to vulnerable refugees around the world," the State Department said.

The State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration defines a refugee as "a person who has been forced from his or her home and crossed an international border for safety," who must have a "well-founded fear of persecution in his or her native country, on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion."

The bureau, which aims to provide "aid and sustainable solutions for refugees, victims of conflict and stateless people around the world," emphasized that the U.S. government provides assistance largely through a multilateral system, partnering with groups such as the UNHCR and others to "maximize impact and minimize duplication" of effort.

ENDS

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