High Commissioner welcomes Dalai Lama contribution

GENEVA - UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers on Wednesday thanked the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, for his personal contribution of $50,000 toward UNHCR's work on behalf of the people of Afghanistan.

A check and personal note from the Dalai Lama were given to Lubbers on Wednesday by a representative of the Tibetan spiritual leader in Geneva. In the note, the Dalai Lama - himself very much a world citizen and a refugee - expressed "great admiration" for UNHCR's humanitarian work around the world and in particular lauded the agency's efforts to help hundreds of thousands of Afghans.

"UNHCR warmly welcomes the Dalai Lama's personal interest in the plight of refugees and in our work to help them," Lubbers said. "His compassion for the world's dispossessed is well-known. This contribution will help to ease their suffering."