US to provide $158 mn more for Rohingyas, host community

The United States will contribute nearly $180 million in additional assistance for Rohingya .

Dhaka, Sept 23 : The United States will contribute nearly $180 million in additional assistance for the humanitarian crisis facing Rohingya in and outside Myanmar, and for Rohingya refugees and affected host communities in Bangladesh. 

"Of this funding, nearly $158 million is for programmes inside Bangladesh," said Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Representative to the United Nations.

This assistance will save lives, she said, adding that it will provide protection, shelter, food, safe drinking water, health care, and psychosocial support. 

It will support disaster preparedness and COVID-19 relief for Rohingya. And it will bolster access to education and skills training for Rohingya in Bangladesh – key for those who wish to pursue repatriation once conditions are suitable, said Ambassador Linda.

Bangladesh and its people have taken on an enormous responsibility in hosting refugees, she said. 

"We stand with the Government of Bangladesh and with Rohingya in working toward the ultimate goal of the safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable return and reintegration of Rohingya refugees and internally displaced person," said Linda.

While they relentlessly pressure Myanmar’s military regime to stop its violence and return to the path to democracy, the international community must examine other durable solutions for Rohingya, she said.

"In the meantime, we all must give more. If you’ve already donated, we urge you to increase your commitment. And if you have not made a contribution, now is the time to join us," said Ambassador Linda.

For decades, Rohingya in Myanmar have faced a campaign of cruelty. 

Torture, rape, arson, killings, massacres and ince the coup, the heartbreaking humanitarian situation has grown even more dire, said Linda. 

"Nearly 900,000 Rohingya have been forced to take refuge in Bangladesh. We cannot ignore their plight," she said, reports UNB.