UNHCR funding update

We are pleased to see a few governments beginning to respond to our urgent request for funding for refugee programmes through the rest of this year. As we said on Tuesday, we need $80 million in the fourth quarter to meet minimum requirements for refugees worldwide. We need confirmation now that we're going to get this funding so our field offices can do the necessary planning.

This week, we have heard from the Netherlands, traditionally one of our strongest supporters, announcing another $5 million in unearmarked funds. That will bring the total Dutch contribution for this year to around $60 million - $2 million more than last year. The Netherlands is currently our third largest donor behind the United States ($256 million) and Japan ($104 million), and we are extremely grateful for its continued good support for UNHCR. In addition, Norway and Germany have both given positive indications of further support - in Germany's case for refugee assistance in Africa. We are awaiting more information from both and hope that other governments will also be coming forward over the next week.