UNHCR's annual Executive Committee meeting next week

Briefing notes

UNHCR's annual Executive Committee meeting next week

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

3 October 2008

The annual meeting of UNHCR's 76-nation governing body, the Executive Committee, begins Monday in the Assembly Hall here in the Palais. The Executive Committee meeting reviews and approves UNHCR's programmes and budgets and advises on refugee protection issues.

The five-day meeting will be opened by High Commissioner António Guterres at 10 a.m. Monday. A press release on his opening remarks will be issued Monday morning and the full text of his speech made available on the UNHCR website. Also addressing the meeting on Monday morning will be ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger.

Monday's session will conclude at 6 p.m. with a ceremony presenting the annual Nansen Refugee Award to Mr. Christopher Clark and the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre of South Lebanon for their efforts to protect refugees and internally displaced persons from the dangers posed by cluster munitions in southern Lebanon in 2006. Thanks to these efforts, thousands of displaced civilians were able to return home, urgently needed humanitarian relief supplies and services reached severely affected communities, and UN peacekeepers and humanitarian workers were able to deploy safely.

While the opening session will be held in the Assembly Hall, subsequent sessions from Tuesday through Friday will be held in Room XVII.

The annual report on international protection - a global review of current refugee/asylum challenges and successes - will be presented late Wednesday or early Thursday by Assistant High Commissioner Erika Feller. We'll also issue a press release on her speech.

UNHCR's budget for 2009 will be presented on Thursday ($1.275 billion for annual programmes and a projected $535 million for supplementary programmes).

Throughout the week, a series of side events examining specific issues and operations will be held in Room XXIII. Details are in the schedule.

As in past years, High Commissioner António Guterres will give a briefing here in Salle 3 at 1300 hours on Friday, Oct. 10, at the conclusion of the annual meeting.