The US government has provided USD 1.4 million to UNHCR’s Programme in Nepal.
A press statement issued by UNHCR said the USA contributed USD 1.15 million for the UN refugee agency’s 2006 Annual Budget Programme for Nepal.
The US government also provided USD 250,000 for support of new Tibetan arrivals in the Reception Centre in Kathmandu.
A press statement issued by the UNHCR in Nepal quoted UNHCR’s Representative in Nepal, Abraham Abraham as saying, “We wish to express our sincere appreciation to the government and people of the USA for this generous contribution.”
“These contributions are part of the USD 203.8 million contribution from the USA to UNHCR’s 2006 overall Annual Programme Budget. The USA is the refugee agency’s largest donor,” the statement adds.
The refugee agency in Nepal is providing international protection and assistance to some 105,000 Bhutanese refugees who have been sheltering in seven camps in eastern Nepal since the early 1990’s.
The refugee agency also protects and assists newly arrived Tibetans in transit in Nepal, as well as responding to the protection needs of the asylum-seekers and refugees of other nationalities in Kathmandu, the statement adds.