The Daily Star
Monday, "March 4, 2019"
Rohingya refugees.Reuters file photo
“Today the United States is contributing $45.5 million to the UN World Food Programme in support of the Rohingya refugee crisis,” Earl Robert Miller, US ambassador to Bangladesh, announced yesterday as he called on all nations with the means to contribute to this global humanitarian crisis.
This is in addition to the $60 million announced at the 2019 UN Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis held in Geneva on February 15, Miller told reporters.
“This brings the total US contribution to the 2019 JRP to $105 million,” he said after a meeting with State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Enamur Rahman at the secretariat.
Meanwhile, the state minister said the government would start relocating Rohingyas to Bhashanchar by April 15. “Some 23,000 Rohingya families, approximately around one lakh people, will be shifted there,” he told reporters after the meeting, reports UNB.
Houses are being built there with water and electricity services for the Rohingyas in addition to ensuring proper sanitation, Enamur said, adding that shelters would also be set up.
The US is the leading contributor of humanitarian assistance in response to the Rohingya refugee crisis. The country has already provided nearly $500 million since the outbreak of violence in August 2017, said a US embassy press release yesterday,
Approximately $450 million is dedicated to programmes in Bangladesh for Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi host communities, the release said.
“The United States is committed to helping those affected by this crisis. We are deeply appreciative of the generosity of the government and people of Bangladesh for opening their border and hearts to a Rohingya community that has suffered greatly,” the US envoy said.
Today's new US contribution will provide life-saving food assistance to Rohingya refugees to augment existing humanitarian interventions, including vouchers, so that they can buy food in local markets, monsoon and cyclone preparedness to protect lives, and nutritional support for vulnerable children and pregnant and lactating women, said the embassy.
This additional funding complements the ongoing US humanitarian assistance reaching more than one million refugees in Bangladesh, Bangladeshi host communities, and people displaced within Myanmar and the region to provide protection, emergency shelter, food, nutrition, water, sanitation, healthcare, psychosocial support, and learning opportunities.
US funding also targets host communities impacted by this crisis. In Cox's Bazar, the US assistance helps improve the lives of Bangladeshis in these communities through programmes expanding access to healthcare and better economic and education opportunities.
US assistance also supports the efforts of humanitarian organisations and the government of Bangladesh to improve preparedness, infrastructure, and shelter for monsoon and cyclone seasons, said the release added.
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