Donors
pledge more than US$450 towards UNHCR programmes in 2009
10 Dec 2008 16:45:33 GMT Source: UNHCR
GENEVA, December 10 (UNHCR) – As the number of refugees and displaced people around the world continues to rise, donors have
pledged some US$463 million towards UNHCR's 2009 programmes. This amounts to about a quarter of the UN refugee agency's total needs for the year ahead – some US$1.86 billion.This year's
pledges, made on Tuesday at UNHCR's annual pledging conference in Geneva, were down 6 percent on the amount raised at last year's conference, when donors pledged some US$492 million towards the 2008
appeal."This is an encouraging outcome at a time when donors are faced by the uncertainties provoked by the current economic turbulence," said United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
António Guterres. But he called on donor countries to come up with the balance of resources required to meet global needs. He appealed to countries to provide additional contributions early in
the New Year to ensure that assistance and protection are not interrupted. "Without additional funds, the outlook for the world's displaced is uncertain", he said.The High Commissioner paid
special tribute to the 10 countries that provide more than 75 percent of UNHCR's total budget, while appealing to others to increase their support. The money is needed to help some 32 refugees,
stateless and internally displaced people around the world.Several donor representatives at the conference praised reform efforts aimed at making UNHCR more efficient and ensuring that more
resources were allocated directly to helping refugees and other persons of concern to the agency.With almost 97 percent of UNHCR's budget coming from voluntary donations and only 3 percent
funded by the regular UN budget, the agency is extremely vulnerable to any reduction in funding by major donors.
RNPS IMAGES OF THE YEAR 2008 People seek refuge from flood waters in east Nepal August 24, 2008. Twenty-four bodies have been discovered washed away by Koshi River at the Nepal-India ...
