$109 MILLION PLEDGED FOR 1998 PROGRAMMES OF UNHCR

Press Release
GA/9351
REF/1160

$109 MILLION PLEDGED FOR 1998 PROGRAMMES OF UNHCR

Some $109 million was pledged this morning at a meeting of the General Assembly's Ad Hoc Committee for the Announcement of Voluntary Contributions to the 1998 Programmes of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The 18 States announcing pledges this morning were Algeria, Austria, Belgium, China, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Liechtenstein, Norway, Sri Lanka, Sweden and Turkey, as well as the observer for Switzerland. Written pledges were submitted by Djibouti, Egypt, Iceland, Netherlands and Tunisia.

The representatives of Denmark, Japan, Republic of Korea, Spain and the United States announced their intention to contribute at a later date.

In an opening statement, the Chairman to the Ad Hoc Committee, Nabil A. Elaraby (Egypt), said voluntary repatriation and successful reintegration were at the very heart of the resolution of today's humanitarian tragedies. The contributions announced today would help create a solid financial base for next year's activities, having a direct impact on the lives of an estimated 22.7 million persons. Also, they would reinforce the international community's resolution to come to the assistance of victims of persecution and violence worldwide.

Also addressing the Committee, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata, said UNHCR's total budget requirements for 1997 had dropped to $1.2 billion from $1.4 billion last year. Against that total worldwide requirement, including her Office's General and Special Programmes, they had raised $732 million in contributions since 1 January. She expected that during the last two months of 1997 there would be further contributions of $100 million. That would bring the income to some $830 million by 31 December. The comparable figure of contributions income at the end of 1996 had been $960 million. She added that moral and political support, as well as funding, were necessary to enable the UNHCR to carry out its humanitarian mandate in increasingly complex political contexts.

Opening Statements NABIL ELARABY (Egypt), Chairman to the Ad Hoc Committee, said this year the forty-eighth session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's Programme had focused on the topic of the challenges of repatriation, adding that voluntary repatriation and successful reintegration were at the very heart of the resolution of today's humanitarian tragedies.

One of the most important messages that emerged from that Executive Committee session was the emphasis the international community must put on the voluntary repatriation of refugees, and the often difficult, but essential, process of reintegrating them to their home countries, he said. The importance of dignified and safe return of the refugees was also emphasized. As seen recently in the Great Lakes region of Africa, lack of access to asylum and whole- scale refoulement had touched the very heart of the High Commissioner's mandate.

He recalled that Mrs. Ogata had reminded her Executive Committee three weeks ago that the basic rights of asylum-seekers and refugees were non- negotiable, as far as her mandate and commitment were concerned. In addition, the international community had both the responsibility and duty not only to uphold the basic humanitarian principles, but also to provide the resources to the High Commissioner and her partners, both inside and outside the United Nations system, for them to meet the exceptionally difficult challenge that voluntary repatriation and reintegration posed.

Next year, the Office of the High Commissioner would require some $1 billion to meet minimum standards of protection and assistance, he said. The contributions made here today would help create a solid financial base for those activities next year. They would have a direct impact on the lives of an estimated 22.7 million persons and reinforce the international community's resolution to firmly come to the assistance of victims of persecution and violence worldwide.

SADAKO OGATA, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said that earlier this week she had had the opportunity to brief the Assembly's Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) on her Office's activities worldwide. She went on to review both the positive and negative aspects of the financing of the UNHCR during 1997.

UNHCR's total budget requirements for 1997 had dropped to $1.2 billion from $1.4 billion last year, she said. Against that total worldwide requirement, including her Office's General and Special Programmes, they had raised $732 million in contributions since 1 January. She expected that during the last two months of 1997 there would be further contributions of $100 million. That would bring the income to some $830 million by 31 December. The comparable figure of contributions income at the end of 1996 had been $960 million.

UNHCR Pledging Conference - 3 - Press Release GA/9351 1st Meeting (AM) REF/1160 7 November 1997

As UNHCR's total budget decreased, it was normal that contributions decline, she said. The problem, however, was ensuring that the General Programme and the range of Special Programmes were funded in a timely and adequate manner.

There were serious problems in financing this year's General Programme due to declining levels of contributions, she said. That was, in part, caused by the strong United States dollar and reduced revenue from other sources of income.

For the first time since 1991, UNHCR's total budget had been set below the $1 billion mark, a decline of more than 25 per cent since 1996, she said. There was, however, a positive aspect to that. The UNHCR had terminated operations on behalf of Mozambican and most Indochinese refugees. Activities were also being refocused in the former Yugoslavia and in the Great Lakes region of Africa away from large-scale emergency operations towards the challenges of protection, return and reintegration.

The negative side to the declining budget was that the General Programme's funding problems would again persist in 1998, she said. A reduced General Programme target of $440 million had, therefore, had to be recommended to the Executive Committee. The importance of adequate funding of the core activities of the UNHCR could not be stressed enough. Those covered survival assistance programmes for millions of often forgotten refugees around the world.

For next year's Special Programmes, operations totalling $555.9 million were foreseen, she said. Those included many repatriation activities all over the world, as well as an adequate response to the continued challenges that were faced in the Great Lakes region, the former Yugoslavia and elsewhere.

The UNHCR depended almost exclusively on voluntary contributions from a large number of countries, she said. The bulk of its support came from 20 major donors. At a time when the UNHCR was facing serious challenges, the coming year would be a test. An appeal was, therefore, made for new donors to join in supporting "what must and should be a global responsibility and a sign of solidarity with the world's dispossessed and displaced. Many millions of refugees depend on it".

Closing Statement

In her closing statement, Mrs. OGATA said that moral and political support, as well as funding, was necessary to enable the UNHCR to carry out its humanitarian mandate in increasingly complex political contexts. Pledges made today had amounted to $109 million. She was grateful that some States had announced increases in their pledges. It was understood that the budgetary procedures of some countries did not allow for pledging at this

UNHCR Pledging Conference - 4 - Press Release GA/9351 1st Meeting (AM) REF/1160 7 November 1997

juncture. It was nevertheless hoped that all donors would inform the UNHCR as early as possible of their funding projections for 1998 to allow for uninterrupted implementation of its programmes.

In response to a remark made about the fluctuation of currency and its effects on the UNHCR, the High Commissioner said that the UNHCR possessed three mechanisms to control the effects of currency fluctuation. Those were: firstly, the recognition that fluctuation of currency had both positive and negative effects; secondly, that the UNHCR was able to make some adjustments for fluctuation; thirdly, that a working capital and guarantee fund was available.

Pledges Announced Local Currency US$ Equivalent

Algeria 50,000.00 Austria 5 million schillings 409,836.07 Belgium 90 million Belgian francs 2,535,211.27 China 250,000.00 Djibouti 1,000.00 Egypt 20,000 Egyptian pounds 5,934.72 Germany 22 million deutsche marks 12,790,697.67 Hungary 20,000.00 Iceland 4,500,000 Icel. kronur 66,964.29 Indonesia 4,000.00 Liechtenstein 50,000 Swiss francs 35,714.29 Netherlands 47,500,000 guilders 24,484,536.08 Norway 170 million kroner 24,216,524.22 Sri Lanka 7,600 rupees 5,428.57 Sweden 260 million kronor 34,574,468.09 Switzerland 13 million Swiss francs 9,285,714.29 Tunisia 5,000 Tunisian dinars 4,444.44 Turkey 150,000.00

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