Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
April 30, 2003

U.S. Contributes an Additional $10 Million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

The United States is pleased to announce an additional contribution of $10 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for its 2003 Annual Programs. This funding fulfills our initial $125 million pledge to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees announced in Geneva on December 3, 2002.

This $10 million contribution will support UN High Commissioner for Refugees operations such as refugee returns in the Balkans, the protection of Burmese refugees in Thailand, and key global programs such as those for refugee women and refugee children. The contribution is to be allocated as follows:

East Asia $ 0.5 million
Europe $ 1.5 million
Global Operations $ 3.5 million
Headquarters $ 4.5 million

Funds in the initial $125 million pledge designated for activities in other regions of the world were provided in full in previous contributions.

This funding will allow the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, which is the lead United Nations agency responsible for protection and assistance of the world s refugees, to provide assistance to the nearly 20 million refugees and other persons of concern during the early months of 2003. The U.S. will make additional contributions to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in the months that follow.

In addition, the United States has contributed more than $44 million towards 2003 Supplementary Programs of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees including its programs in Iraq, Afghanistan, and various countries in Africa, bringing the total 2003 U.S. contribution in support of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Annual and Supplemental Programs to nearly $170 million.

The U.S. contribution to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees is the largest of any donor state, contributing approximately 25 percent of their annual budget each year.