UN refugee agency launches appeal for $ 1.22 billion to aid 19.1 million people

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will launch its 2006 Global Appeal for $1.22 billion at an annual pledging conference in Geneva next Monday in order to assist 19.1 million “people of concern,” including some 9.2 million refugees.

“UNHCR is almost exclusively funded through voluntary contributions, so we rely totally on the generosity of donors to support our work to protect and help some of the most vulnerable people on this planet – refugees,” High Commissioner António Guterres said.

Besides refugees, “people of concern” to UNHCR include some 5.4 million internally displaced persons, some 1.5 million returnees, 840,000 asylum seekers and 1.5 million stateless people.

Over the past few years, UNHCR has been receiving progressively increased commitments of funds at the annual pledging conferences, helping reduce financial uncertainty and allowing for more predictable funding.

The total requirements, including the regular budget and a supplementary budget, rose this year to $1.22 billion from $1.1 billion, mainly due to the incorporation in the annual budget of the return and reintegration of Burundian refugees and the Chad operation which in 2005 were budgeted separately.

In addition to the Global Appeal, UNHCR will be issuing supplementary appeals for South Sudan, Darfur and Iraq later in the year.