State Letter #05-25a

TO: STATE REFUGEE COORDINATORS
NATIONAL VOLUNTARY AGENCIES
REFUGEE MUTUAL ASSISTANCE ASSOCIATIONS
OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES

FROM: Nguyen Van Hanh, Ph.D.
Director
Office of Refugee Resettlement

SUBJECT: 2005 National Refugee Program Consultation
The purpose of this letter is to announce dates and location for the three "Partner Consultations" - States, MAAs and National Volags -- which ORR will be conducting in November in lieu of the traditional National Refugee Program Consultation.

All consultations will be held in the Washington Court Hotel, 525 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, D.C., near Union Station and Capitol Hill.

Because of space limitations, attendance will be by invitation only.

• The two-day consultation for State Refugee Coordinators and State Refugee Health Coordinators will be held on Monday and Tuesday, November 7 and 8, with check-in on Sunday night, November 6.
• The one-day consultation for invited Mutual Assistance Associations (MAAs) will be held on the following day, Wednesday, November 9.
• The one-day consultation for National Voluntary Resettlement Agencies will be held on the following day, Thursday, November 10.
  While there will be no registration fees, invited attendees are expected to register in advance. Our conference coordinator, CRP Inc., will be in touch with invitees shortly with details.

The agenda now being developed will provide attendees with a look at the coming year from ORR's perspective, and will cover such issues as response to Hurricane Katrina, refugee health, integration, arrivals, and Bantu and Hmong resettlement. We believe the format for this year's consultations will give us an opportunity to engage in serious discussions with our partners concerning outstanding and prospective issues for the coming year.

Nguyen Van Hanh, Ph.D.
Director
Office of Refugee Resettlement