Australian Immigration Minister Pays Courtesy Call To UNHCR Operations In Kuala Lumpur

KUALA LUMPUR, 26 February 2015 - The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today received the visit of Australian Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Mr Peter Dutton to the agency’s operations in Kuala Lumpur, as part of the Minister’s official trip to Malaysia.

“Australia has been a generous and strong supporter of UNHCR’s work in Malaysia over the years,” said Richard Towle, UNHCR Representative in Malaysia.

“We are particularly grateful for the longstanding resettlement programme, which has provided a future for thousands of refugees resettled from Malaysia.”

Since 2010, over 4,300 refugees in Malaysia have been resettled to Australia.

During the visit, Minister Dutton met with senior UNHCR staff and toured the UNHCR operations in Kuala Lumpur.

According to Towle, “Refugees and host states like Malaysia face many challenges, and the support of Australia in our efforts to stabilise refugee populations and to find durable solutions, is of great value and importance in this region.

In Malaysia, some 150,000 refugees and asylum-seekers are registered with UNHCR, out of which 93% are from Myanmar, including the Rohingya community who have been identified as having high protection needs, particularly among women and children.