The United States has made an additional contribution of $42.9 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, bringing the U.S. total funding for this purpose in fiscal year 2000 to $214,000,000, Deputy State Department spokesman Philip T. Reeker said in an August 14 statement.

Following is the statement as released in Washington D.C..

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman

August 14, 2000

STATEMENT BY PHILIP T. REEKER, DEPUTY SPOKESMAN

U.S. CONTRIBUTES AN ADDITIONAL $42.9 MILLION TO THE UNITED NATIONS
HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES

The United States has made an additional contribution of $42.9 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. This will bring our total funding for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Fiscal Year 2000 to date to $214,000,000.

This latest contribution is to provide support for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee's programs as follows:

-- $20,000,000 for activities in Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Kosovo, particularly those in support of the protection and return of ethnic minority refugees

-- $3,054,000 for programs on behalf of Burmese and other refugees in the East Asia and Pacific region

-- $1,445,000 for programs in the Northern Caucasus and in Georgia to assist the more than 250,000 people displaced by the conflict in Chechnya

-- $16,400,000 to support headquarters and multi-regional activities

-- $1,500,000 for the placement of American Junior Professional Officers in the organization

-- $500,000 to support the organization's environmental activities.

The United States is committed to ensuring the care and protection of refugees around the world and remains the single largest individual donor to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.