Press Releases
U.S. AMBASSADOR ANNOUNCES FOOD AID, PROCESSING CENTER FOR BHUTANESE REFUGEES
May 25, 2007 नेपालीमा
JHAPA -- U.S. Ambassador James F. Moriarty, visiting the Bhutanese refugee camps here today, announced details of the U.S. offer to resettle at least 60,000 Bhutanese refugees in America, including the organization selected to run resettlement processing in Nepal. He also announced that the American Food for Peace (FFP) program run by USAID will provide an additional $2 million in food aid to the camps.
Ambassador Moriarty said the U.S. State Department selected the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as the Overseas Processing Entity (OPE) for the Bhutanese refugee resettlement program. Based in Kathmandu, IOM will conduct most processing activities in Nepal’s southeastern Jhapa District. The OPE Kathmandu office will open in July 2007 and begin processing the first refugees referred by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in September. Once the resettlement process begins, it will take a minimum of six months between initial refugee interviews and travel to the United States.
In remarks to refugees, the Ambassador said: “Resettlement in the United States may not be the best option for every Bhutanese refugee, and only those who freely choose resettlement in the United States will be considered. During the resettlement process, the U.S. Government, and I am certain other donor governments, will also continue to advocate for the refugees' right of return to their homeland.” Besides refugees, the envoy also met with refugee leaders and UNHCR representatives
Ambassador Moriarty said the United States is making an additional $2 million in-kind contribution to the World Food Program for Bhutanese refugees. This extra donation through the USAID Food for Peace (FFP) program is on top of the U.S.’s first donation of $1.8 million, bringing the total to $3.8 million this year. Under their current status, refugees are restricted from engaging in economic activities outside the camps and from owning land – making humanitarian assistance, like food aid from the donor community, critical to meeting their basic needs.