TNAG-0893-FCO40-1103-Refugees-from-Vietnam-in-Hong-Kong-Vietnamese-boat-people-1979 — Page 40

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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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