DHAKA, March 4, 2020 (BSS) – The United States has declared more than $59 million dollars in additional humanitarian assistance for Rohingyas and host communities in Bangladesh.
The fund that was announced during the lunching of 2020 Joint Response Plan (JRP) for Rohingyas in Geneva on Tuesday, will also cover internally displaced Rohingyas and members of other affected communities in Myanmar.
“We will also continue to call on Myanmar to create the conditions that would ensure voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return of Rohingyas, based on the consent of those who have been forcibly displaced,” said the US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R Miller at a press meet today at American Centre here.
He also called upon Naypyidaw to ensure unhindered and sustained humanitarian access inside Myanmar territory to all people requiring assistance.
The envoy hoped that the US funding will be helpful to addressing emergency needs of more than 900,000 displaced Rohingyas in Bangladesh as well as the Bangladeshi communities in Cox’s Bazar affected by the influx.
However, Miller said the United States cannot meet tremendous needs of the Rohingya crisis alone.
Welcoming contributions of many donors in recent months, the US ambassador called on other countries to contribute as well to this regard.
The envoy praised Bangladesh Government’s generosity in responding to the Rohingya crisis and continued efforts to ensure assistance to affected population both Rohingyas and Bangladeshis.
Later, US embassy officials said they are expecting that the US aid will contribute more than 65 to 70 percent of total appealed US$ 877 million 2020 JRP like the previous two years.
They also said the US assistance programme has also focused on the host Bangladeshi communities to improve their affected livelihood and environment due to the huge Rohingya influx.
The United States remains the leading contributor to the humanitarian response each year since the outbreak of violence in August 2017.
With this new funding announcement, the total US humanitarian assistance reaches almost $820 million, of which nearly $693 million is for programs inside Bangladesh.