UNHCR facing shortfall of US $80 million

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is facing a shortfall of US $80 million to enable it maintain at "least minimum standards for refugees".

"Unless we get more money by the end of this month, we'll be forced to in November to halt a number of our operations," UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond said in Geneva on Tuesday.

Noting that the agency's budget had increased this year primarily because of the huge needs in Afghanistan, whose programme was now fully funded, others, particularly in Africa - were suffering. "To get through the remainder of this year, we still need $80 million to maintain at least minimum standards for refugees," he said.

At the start of the year, the agency needed to raise $802 million for its 2002 annual programmes, but when it became apparent that contributions were not matching needs, it reduced that budget to $726 million in July and then again last week to $710 million. "In all, some $92 million in cuts have already been made this year, affecting both headquarters and the field," he said.

In a letter to top donor governments last week, UNHCR warned that if no new contributions were received by the end of October, the agency would be unable to provide its field offices with the necessary funds they need to carry out their work for November and December, Redmond said.

This could mean a further reduction still in operations, he said, adding that planning for field operations in specific countries required substantial lead time.

"Currently, however, the unpredictable cash flow means we are unable to conform to field offices that they will be able to carry out their plans. This 'hand-to-mouth' situation has led to frustration among field staff and leaves UNHCR with little or no cushion to deal with any new emergencies," he added.

According to Redmond, the agency's most pressing needs "right now" are in Africa, "where we have numerous protracted refugee situations". "But the shortfall is being felt globally," he said.

The affected programmes range from water, health, education and agricultural projects for Eritrean refugees and a reduction in security in Tanzanian camps to cuts in the provision of winter clothes for children in the Caucasus and the cancellation of a planned relocation of refugees in Thailand and Papua New Guinea currently staying in insecure border regions.

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