UNHCR gives 5.9 million US dollars to Azerbaijan to address refugees' problems

High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has allocated to Azerbaijan 5,914,932 US dollars for programmes for persons seeking asylum, for material assistance to persons without citizenship, to internally displaced persons (IDPs), and for integration programme.

The funds were allocated to Azerbaijan within the framework of the appropriate assistance rendered by the UNHCR for the programmes in Eastern Europe, which accounted in total 63 million dollars.

In 2011, such assistance to Azerbaijan amounted to 5,933,021 US dollars.

In 2011, half a billion US dollars were allocated for the solution of social problems of refugees and IDPs in Azerbaijan. 295 million US dollars of the above amount were allocated from the budget of the country, 175 million US dollars from the State Oil Fund, and 30 million US dollars came from international humanitarian organizations.

"In total, over the last 20 years, 3.7 billion manats or 4.6 billion US dollars were spent for the solution of the social problems of refugees and IDPs. 2.7 billion US dollars of the above amount was allocated from the budgetary funds, 1 billion US dollars from the State Oil Fund, and 900 million US dollars were allocated by international humanitarian organizations, operating in Azerbaijan," stated Ali Gasanov, Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, Chairman of the State Committee on Refugees and IDPs.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, in total, at the expense of the State Oil Fund and other sources, 70 modern dwelling settlements, fully equipped with social and technical infrastructure, were built, and living conditions of 22,000 families, or 120,000 refugees and IDPs, were improved, the "1news.az" reports.