By NNN-KUNA
Geneva : The US mission in Geneva has announced that the US government has pledged an additional contribution of USD 19 million for 2007 to the UNHCR for its second supplementary appeal for Iraq.
With this contribution, the US would have met close to one third of the additional UNHCR appeal.
The UNHCR appealed Thursday for USD 123 million, out of which donors have already contributed USD 66 million. The remaining amount is USD 57 million of which the US has announced its additional contribution of USD 19 million.
This contribution, according to US diplomatic sources in Geneva, will provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance to Iraqi refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and other countries in the region as well as to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and non-Iraqi refugees inside Iraq.
This contribution will also support UNHCR’s initiative to raise enrolment of Iraqi refugee children in schools throughout the region from 60,000 at present to 200,000 during the 2007-08 school year.
It will also support an increase in primary health services for Iraqi refugees in the region and sustain protection through registration, legal assistance and resettlement activities for Iraqi refugees.
Inside Iraq, the UNHCR coordinates the international response to Iraq’s IDPs and refugees, provides emergency assistance to over 150,000 of the more than two million internally displaced Iraqis and gives lifesaving assistance to 45,000 third-country refugees, including 15,000 Palestinians.
Thursday’s US additional contribution along with other earlier contribution of USD 18 million, brings the US total 2007 contribution to UNHCR’s Iraq programmes to USD 37 million.