As the large-scale resettlement programme for Bhutanese refugees draws to a close, Australian Ambassador to Nepal Peter G Budd visited the Bhutanese refugee camps in the eastern region on Tuesday.

Budd met Bhutanese refugees and observed programmes designed to increase their self-reliance, while supporting the Nepali host community, according to the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.

Australia has resettled almost 6,500 Bhutanese refugees in the country.

Ambassador Budd said, “With the conclusion of the resettlement programme, I am hopeful that space has been created for the pursuit of alternative solutions.”

The New Zealand Honorary Consul to Nepal Lisa Choegyal also participated in the mission. The government of New Zealand has resettled 1,076 Bhutanese persons and continues to be a major supporter of the UNHCR.

Since 2007, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have joined forces to collectively resettle almost 110,000 refugees to date.

The UNHCR projects that approximately 112,000 Bhutanese refugees will be resettled from eastern Nepal by 2018, with an estimated 8,000 refugees remaining in the camps.

Currently 9,500 Bhutanese refugees reside in Nepal—a dramatic reduction from the 120,000 refugees to whom Nepal has generously provided asylum since the early 1990s.