The European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) has provided an assistance of 2 million U.S. dollars to the United Nations (UN) food agency for supporting Bhutanese refugees in Nepal, local newspaper The Himalayan Times reported Friday.

The UN World Food Program (WFP) has welcomed the donation.

"We are very pleased that the ECHO has decided to once again support the refugees who have been living in refugee camps in Nepal for over 16 years," said Richard Ragan, WFP Country Director in Nepal.

"The commission has consistently been one of the biggest providers of humanitarian support to the refugees," a WFP statement said. "The WFP aims to provide food aid to over 108,000 Bhutanese refugees over the next two years," it said. The refugees are restricted from engaging in economic activities outside the camps and owning land.