Resettlement figure reaches 59,000
Here is the statement from US embassy in Kathmandu
Today, January 30, 2012 the 50,000th Bhutanese refugee will depart for a new life in the United States. At about the same time, the number of this group to be resettled overseas overall will reach approximately 59,000. These two milestones come during the ongoing large scale resettlement of Bhutanese refugees that started in early 2008, with the subsequent departure of refugees to the United States and other countries of the Core Group – Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, New Zealand, and the UK. We are grateful to our international partners, most notably the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), for their ongoing protection of this vulnerable population, whether they resettle or not.
The United States, through the Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) Bureau of the State Department, provides resettlement opportunities to thousands of the world’s most vulnerable refugees each year from around the world, including Nepal, at levels set by Congress and the President of the United States. The Bhutanese resettlement program is currently the second-largest resettlement program for the United States. Bhutanese refugees have been resettled in nearly all 50 States and receive employment and educational support from U.S. federal and state governments, as well as non-governmental organizations, to begin their new lives as productive, engaged residents. The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) reflects our own tradition as a nation of immigrants and refugees from around the world. It is an important, enduring and ongoing expression of our commitment to international humanitarian principles. The United States remains the largest resettlement country in the world, receiving more than half of all refugees resettled world-wide each year through UNHCR.
The U.S. is committed to accepting as many of the Bhutanese whom UNHCR refers to us for consideration in Nepal and who meet the requirements of U.S. law for refugee admission. Even after passing this notable milestone, some 55,000 Bhutanese refugees remain in camps in southeastern Nepal. The U.S. continues to urge the Government of Bhutan to accept the return of those persons who are eligible and wish to do so as another important component of finding durable solutions for all Bhutanese refugees in Nepal.