US gives $30mn to support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh

The United States will provide $30.5 million in additional assistance for Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, Bhasan Char, and the region. The fund will be provided through the Department of State Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration and United States Agency for International Development (USAID). 

This funding includes lifesaving support for healthcare, nutrition, clean water, and shelter, as well as support for self-reliance initiatives to help ease reliance on humanitarian assistance, said a press release of the US embassy in Dhaka.

Ambassador Jeffrey Prescott, US Representative to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture, announced the new assistance funding on a visit to Bangladesh to observe U.S. government food security, agriculture and humanitarian assistance activities in the country.

"We remain committed to working with the Bangladesh government and all of our partners to continue support for Rohingya refugees and for Bangladeshis living in communities impacted by this crisis," said Ambassador Prescott.

The United States is the single largest donor of humanitarian assistance to those affected by the Rohingya crisis in Burma, Bangladesh, and the region.  Total US funding for this crisis has reached nearly $2.4 billion since August 2017, of which over $1.9 billion has been provided for refugees and host communities in Bangladesh.