DHAKA, Oct 15, 2020 (BSS) – The United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), the European Union and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees will bring the international community together on October 22 to address the Rohingya crisis.
At a virtual conference, they will urge countries to increase assistance for the Rohingyas, the host communities, and the internally displaced people in Myanmar, more than three years since the latest phase of the crisis began in August 2017, according to a press release circulated by the British high commission here today.
The UN has appealed for more than $1 billion in aid to meet the humanitarian needs of Rohingyas in Bangladesh this year, but so far less than half has been contributed which leaves a significant funding gap, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The conference aims to raise urgently needed funds to help vulnerable displaced Rohingyas living in and out of their native Myanmar. The funds raised are also expected to support critical services in host communities throughout South and Southeast Asia, said the release.
It will be an opportunity for the co-hosts to reiterate that any sustainable solution to this crisis must include the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of Rohingya and other displaced people to their homes or to a place of their choosing,” it said.
In this respect, the co-hosts will repeat the UN Secretary General’s call for a global ceasefire and the cessation of fighting to enable safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to all communities in need of assistance.