John Narayan Parajuli

Nearly 20 years after the arrival of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal and four years since the beginning of the resettlement programme, the Nepal government and the UNHCR have finally begun preparations for a programme targeting both the refugees and host communities. The government will play a leading role in the programme that will ultimately result in the dismantling of refugee camps, and possibly assimilating remaining refugees locally.

The UNHCR and the National Refugee Coordination Unit (NUCRA) at the Ministry of Home Affairs have begun ground work for a substantive Community-Based Development Programme (CBDP) that would address the needs of both the refugees and the host communities—creating more social cohesion among the two communities. This programme is being developed in consultation with all stakeholders, including donors, line agencies of Nepal government, refugees and the host communities. Some 235,000 locals in the refugee hosting area and the refugees will benefit from the programme, said UNHCR’s Durable Solution Officer Nicole Epting.

“The baton is being passed from the humanitarian to development community,” said UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Robert Piper, addressing the inaugural session of a three-day workshop on Monday.

The workshop aims at ironing out the operational framework, priority sectors and funding mechanism for the CBDP Between February and May this year, UN Country Team (UNCT), and other stakeholders led by the Chief District Officer of Jhapa and Morang districts that host the refugees conducted several rounds of Joint Needs Assessment (JNA) with the participation of refugee and host communities.

“If everything goes as planned, the programme could be implemented in less than a year’s time,” said UNHCR’s Country Representative Stephane Jaquemet. Though the programme is still at a draft stage and its framework and funding sources have not been worked out, it is clear that the government will have to play a leading role— incorporating the humanitarian and development nature of the programme into its national and local level planning. The government may also contribute by making budgetary allocations for the implementation of the new programme—a fact indicated by the US ambassador’s remark.

“We will look into the results of the Joint Needs Assessment and determine what warrants our support,” said the US Ambassador to Nepal, Scott H DeLisi. “But not all of these needs can be met by the donors.”

Assuring that the government will do its part, Home Secretary Leela Mani Paudyal said the government will ensure that the identified projects will be reflected in the national and local level planning. But he also urged the donor community to make generous contribution towards that end.

With the end of the refugee problem in sight—with less than 10,000 population by the middle of 2015, according to current UNHCR projection—the international community wants to phase out the humanitarian operation and phase in development operation.

Already 46,000 refugees have been resettled in third countries, a majority of them in the United States—leaving a population of 67,000 in the camps that is declining at the rate of about 15,000 annually.

Published on: 14 June 2011 | The Kathmandu Post