to meet new needs and away from declining tasks. Geographical
distribution is a laudable objective, but must not be allowed
to detract from efficiency.
We applaud the efforts being devoted
to better management of the office: efficiency, good morale and
fairness require effort.
UK CONTRIBUTION
17. During the year the UK's contributions for refugee relief
have totalled over £16 million, a new record. The Afghan relief
operation in Pakistan has attracted a large part of this,
reflecting the importance of this particular problem. In
addition the UK contributes one-fifth of European Community aid
to UNHCR. - Our financial contribution to the needs of refugees
totalled some £24 million during the past year.
18. Looking ahead, I am happy to announce today a new pledge
of British aid to refugees totalling £3 million in all.
£1 million of this is to be for refugees in the Sudan and the
remaining £2 million for the Afghan refugee relief effort.
Of
this, £1.5 million is to be for UNHCR, two-thirds of it for the
World Bank/UNHCR income generating projects. Of the £1 million
for refugees in the Sudan, half is for UNHCR.
HONG KONG
19. A particular concern for the United Kingdom is the problems
which Hong Kong is currently experiencing. Hong Kong is a very
small territory with a population of 5.3 million. This is
equivalent to an overall density of about 5,000 persons per square
kilometer compared with 230 in the UK and 22 in the USA. Its
population has swelled by more than half a million since 1978.
Despite this it has taken for permanent resettlement in Hong
Kong some 14000 refugees and displaced persons since 1975 and
/has given