US Pledges $100 million to UNHCR

Africa will get half of the US $100 million the US government has pledged to support UHNCR funded programmes operations worldwide in the year 2000, the US Mission to the UN said on Thursday. “This is to underscore our concern that many programmes in Africa remain under funded; and to ensure that equitable standards of care are provided to African refugees,” Laurie Shestack, an advisor to the US mission at the UN, told the General Assembly on Thursday. The pledge is subject to Congressional appropriation. The US contribution to UNHCR in fiscal year 1999 was at least US $278, the largest ever and Shestack said: “It is crucial for UNHCR to have strong donor support across the board to provide for the millions of refugees who depend on it for their protection.”