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BRITISH ASSISTANCE TO THE UNITED NATIONS' HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES (UNHCR)
8'.
1.
UNHCR assistance to Indo-China refugees is provided from the
High Commissioner's General Programme. The previous British Government,
in October 1978, pledged £3.5m to that Programme for 1979 (about
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8.5% of the then estimated budget of US$88 million). Because
of the increasing number of refugees and newly-identified additional
requirements in South-East Asia and Southern Africa, the UNHCR
had to revise upwards his estimated budget for the year to US$115million
He has asked governments to increase their contributions.
If the
UK is to maintain the original level of 8.5% of the budget this
would cost about £1.25 million at today's rates. The Minister of State
Overseas Development) has said that, following the cut of £50 million
in the aid programme which was already over-committed, he is looking
for savings of around £100 million to reconstitute a contingencies
reserve; these savings will take two or three weeks to identify.
He prefers to defer consideration of an additional contribution to the
UNHCR until he can say what contingency funds may be available.
2.
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The UNHCR is desperately short of money, particularly for
his programme in South-East Asia. Looking forward to the end of
1979, he will have a deficit of some US$67 million (based on the
numbers of refugees in the region remaining at their present level).
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