The United Nations Refugee Agency has amended a part in its country operation profile that claimed Nepal government had already approved its proposal to launch a Community Based Development Program (CBDP) at various Bhutanese refugee camps in eastern Nepal.

The government of Nepal had lodged its objection on the claim with UN Refugee Agency representative in Kathmandu and also with the official at UNHRC Headquarters in Geneva recently. 

“With the agreement of the government of Nepal to start designing a program benefitting both host communities and refugees, UNHCR has submitted a revised appeal document of a five-year Community Based Development Program/Transitional Solution Initiative (CBDP/TSI,” states the revised report.

The amended report also states that UNHCR plans to carry out CBDP related activities once their appeal is approved by the government of Nepal. “While seeking other durable solution and fulfilling the protection-related needs of the remaining refugees from Bhutan remains a priority, UNHCR is working to prepare for the CBDP/TSI related activities together with support from the government and UN Country team, once they are approved,” the report further states.

While confirming that they have received a report from the UNHCR on CBDP, home ministry Spokesperson Shankar Koirala, who also oversees refugee issues, said the various concerned ministries are currently reviewing the proposal for endorsement. 

“The report has five components. We have a serious reservation over a component that proposes to engage refugee in income generating activities in Nepal,” he said. 

Along with the issue of CBRD/TSI, Nepali envoy to the UN and International Organizations Shanker Bairagi in his meeting with the officials at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva on Tuesday had also objected to the UNHCR report that claimed Nepal had some 800,000 “stateless” people. 

While maintaining that the figure of the stateless persons as mentioned in the report was not based on facts, the envoy had also asked the UNHCR to do the needful, considering the negative message such "baseless" information could send to the global community. 

However, the UNHCR has yet to remove what Nepal government has called a “baseless” fact from its report. “We believe the UNHCR will do the needful as the fact it mentions about the stateless persons is not true,” Koirala further said.