The UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration made the announcement at a function held at the IOM Refugees Transit Center in Kathmandu. [break]
“This is a tremendous achievement which would not have been possible without the strong support of the Government of Nepal and the countries of resettlement,” said Stephane Jaquemet, the UNHCR Representative in Nepal.
The resettlement of refugees from Bhutan that began from November 2007, is the largest and most successful resettlement program worldwide. The United States, thus far receiving 34,129 refugees, is the new home for the majority of refugees from Bhutan. The other receiving countries are Canada 2,333, Australia 2,168, New Zealand 498, Norway 373, Denmark 326, Netherlands 229 and the United Kingdom 111, according to a press release issued by the IOM.
Following the UNHCR interview and referral of cases to the receiving countries, IOM shoulders responsibility for file preparation, health assessments, cultural orientation courses and transportation of refugees from the camps to final destination in the countries of resettlement.
“Our job is to ensure that refugees depart as quickly as possible,” said David Derthick, the IOM Head of Sub-Office in Damak. “Once a refugee family has made the decision to apply for resettlement, they´re anxious to start their new life as soon as possible.”
At the start of the resettlement program, there were some 108,000 refugees from Bhutan residing in the seven camps in Jhapa and Morang districts in eastern Nepal. To date, some 72,733 refugees from Bhutan remain in seven camps in eastern Nepal, out of which approximately 55,000 have expressed an interest in resettlement and are expected to depart in the next four years.
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