§ Lord AVEBURYasked Her Majesty's Government:
What were the arguments which persuaded the United Kingdom, as a 1414WA contributor to UNHCR programmes, to contribute to a programme for refugees within the territory of their own Government in the Ogaden, and whether there are any other programmes of this kind.
§ Lord TREFGARNEAssistance to persons displaced within their own country or voluntarily returning to their country of origin is a normal function of the UM-KR, which is usually provided under a special programme and not from the regular budget.
The UHNCRissued an appeal to Governments in April 1978 for support for humanitarian programmes in the Horn of Africa estimated to cost 12.15 million dollars. Assistance was needed for some 500,000 refugees and displaced persons in Somalia, more than 500,000 people in Ethiopia directly affected by the fighting in the Ogaden; and more than 10,000 refugees in Jibuti.
The British Government agreed to contribute £750,000; and also contributed £250,000 to a similar appeal from the ICRC. Similar UNHCR programmes to which Her Majesty's Government contributed were recently carried out in Zaire and Burma.