Additional US contribution to refugees and conflict victims in Africa, West Bank and Gaza – USDOS media note/Non-UN document

Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
May 11, 2007

Additional United States Contribution to Refugees and Conflict Victims in Africa, the West Bank and Gaza

The President has authorized the use of $29.5 million from the U.S. Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance (ERMA) Fund to meet unexpected urgent refugee and migration needs related to conflicts in Somalia, Sudan, and Chad, and to meet refugee food needs in other African countries, the West Bank and Gaza.

The drawdown provides $7.4 million to the World Food Program (WFP) to address food emergencies in a number of countries on the African continent, including Uganda, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo  (DROC), Burundi, Liberia, Malawi, and Algeria.

It also provides $10 million to address emergency food needs identified in the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) emergency appeal for relief operations in the West Bank and Gaza.

The drawdown provides $7.6 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to increase assistance and protection activities in Darfur and Chad. This support will enable ICRC to assume management of Darfur's largest camp for internally displaced persons, and address the increased needs of some 65,000 conflict victims in eastern Chad.

This drawdown also provides $4.5 million for the ICRC, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to continue providing assistance to Somali conflict victims and refugees.

The ERMA Fund is a no-year appropriation that is drawn upon to meet unanticipated refugee and migration emergency needs whenever the President determines that it is important to the national interest to do so. ERMA provides critical flexibility to respond on a timely basis to emergency refugee and migration crises around the world. The FY07 full-year Continuing Resolution provided $55 million to ERMA. Another $55 million is included in the President's FY08 request. A request was also included in the FY07 emergency supplemental. With this drawdown of $29.5 million, the ERMA balance is currently $32 million.

U.S. Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance (ERMA) Fund