Text Box: ECDC NEWS Ethiopian Community Development Council, Inc.   1038 S. Highland Street. Arlington, Virginia 22204 Phone: (703) 685-0510  l Fax: (703) 685-0529  l E-mail: info@ecdcinternational.org  l Web Site: ecdcinternational.org Text Box: For more information: Saba Berhane                                                      IMMEDIATE RELEASE (703) 685-0510 Ext. 232                                  (Oct. 23, 2003)                                     ECDC President Applauds Renewed              Commitment to Refugee Resettlement                      By renewing the recommended level of refugee admissions to the United States in fiscal year 2004 at the same 70,000 total that was in place for 2003, the Bush administrations has reaffirmed the nation’s traditional commitment toward the world’s most vulnerable populations, said Tsehaye Teferra, president of the Ethiopian Community Development Council, Inc. (ECDC), noting appreciatively the relative priority given to African refugees in the annual  Presidential Determination released on October 21.     “With actual admissions falling far below approved ceilings over the past two years as new security procedures were being implemented, there was growing concern within the refugee resettlement community that the overall admissions targets might be lowered,” Teferra said. “Maintaining the 70,000 ceiling for 2004 indicates a compassionate awareness of the urgent needs of refugees, and hopefully signals a renewed commitment to restore the resettlement program to full health.”     Included in the overall ceiling for FY 2004 are 20,000 slots in an unallocated reserve for potential emergency refugee flows, leaving 50,000 for regular processing. Of that total, 25,000 are assigned to Africa; 13,000 to Europe and Central Asia; 6,500 to East Asia; 3,500 to Latin American/Caribbean; and 2,000 to Near East/South Asia.     With the overall target set at 70,000 last year, actual admissions were 28,422. The allocation for Africa was 20,000, with 10,717 actually admitted, Teferra said, urging a concerted government-wide effort “to conform actual admissions with approved ceilings.”     “With so many of Africa’s three million refugees having languished in squalid camps for a decade or longer, the proposed increase for that region is especially welcomed. They need special attention, along with other long-staying refugees who have been forced into urban settings where they face brutal conditions and bitter discrimination.” He cited such groups as Ethiopian refugees in Yemen, Djibouti and Kenya; Eritreans in Sudan; Somalis in Kenya; Burundians in Tanzania; and groups of urban refugees in Cairo, Moscow, Nairobi and Kampala, “where they are denied legal status and receive no support.”                                    -#-