A programme launched four years ago to resettle refugees from
Bhutan from the camps in eastern Nepal passed the 50,000th mark on
1 August 2011.

Under a programme launched in November 2007, refugees
originating from Bhutan have been resettled in eight countries,
most of them to the United States. The other resettlement countries
in rank are Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, the
Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

"This is a fantastic outcome, the kind of an outcome made
possible by the incredible generosity of the resettlement
countries, the resilience of the refugees and the great support
from the Nepali government and people," said UNHCR Representative
Stephane Jaquemet.

Jai Prasad Sunuwar, the 50,000th refugee to be resettled from
Nepal, will begin his new life in South Dakota, United States.

"The departure of the 50,000th Bhutanese refugee from Nepal for
resettlement abroad is a noteworthy milestone, one that marks the
realization of the efforts of a multi-national partnership among
nine nations and the United Nations," said the US Ambassador Scott
H. DeLisi. "I’m delighted that the United States has been one
of the leaders in this effort to offer this refugee population a
chance to build a new future for themselves and their
families."

The UN refugee agency is responsible for interviewing refugees
and referring their names to resettlement countries, while IOM
conducts health assessments, organizes cultural orientation courses
and transports the refugees from the four camps in eastern Nepal to
their countries of resettlement.

"The success of this project is directly attributable to the
excellent cooperation among all partners, including the Government
of Nepal and the countries of resettlement," said IOM Chief of
Mission Sarat Dash. "IOM is committed to concluding the
resettlement project for refugees from Bhutan in the same efficient
manner that has been demonstrated over the past four years."

At the start of the resettlement programme, there were 108,000
refugees from Bhutan residing in the camps in eastern Nepal’s
Jhapa and Morang districts, most of who had been there for almost
two decades.

"The United States has so far welcomed more than 42,000
Bhutanese refugees as new residents of our country and we expect
that number to increase as the programme continues," said
Ambassador DeLisi. "At the same time, we continue to hope that the
Government of Bhutan will allow those of their citizens who want to
return to their country to do so without restriction," he added. "I
also want to applaud the Government and, especially, the people of
Nepal for their generosity in hosting the Bhutanese refugee
community for over two decades. It is a testament to the great
hospitality and humanitarian spirit of Nepalis."

Of the 63,000 remaining in the camps, more than 47,000 have
expressed an interest in resettlement and are expected to depart
within the next four years. "We continue to receive a steady stream
of expressions of interest for resettlement," Jaquemet said. "And
the positive aspect of this resettlement programme is that the
acceptance rate by the countries of resettlement remains 99 per
cent, the highest in the world," he added.

While resettlement is currently the only available option for
refugees in the camps in eastern Nepal, UNHCR, together with the
international community, will continue efforts to achieve
comprehensive and lasting solutions to the plight of refugees from
Bhutan, including voluntary repatriation as and when return
conditions permit.

For further information, please contact:

David Derthick

Head of Sub-office

IOM Damak

Tel: +977-23-582293

or

Pratibedan Baidya

External Relations Assistant

UNHCR Sub-Office, Damak

Tel: +977-23-580174

or

Sofila Vaidya

External Relations - Intern

UNHCR Kathmandu, Nepal

Tel: +977-1-4412521, 4414724