UK pledges £27m for rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
The United Kingdom has announced £27 million in new funding to provide food, shelter, clean water, healthcare and other life-saving services to over 500,000 Rohingya refugees and vulnerable host communities in Bangladesh.
The aid package, announced by UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper on Monday, comes ahead of a UN high-level conference on the plight of Rohingya and other minority groups in Myanmar. It will also support sexual and reproductive health services for 175,000 women and girls, and assistance for survivors of sexual, physical and mental harm.
"This new UK aid will deliver essential services to half a million Rohingya people in Bangladesh and also help support Bangladeshi host communities," Cooper said. "The UK will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that those displaced by violence have the support, protection, dignity and opportunities they deserve."
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
The new commitment will be delivered through partners including IOM, WFP, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNFPA, and several international NGOs. Funding will cover food assistance, sanitation, legal aid, healthcare, camp management and climate-resilient livelihoods.
With this package, the UK has provided more than £447 million in assistance for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh since 2017, making it one of the largest long-term contributors to the crisis response.
The UK has also reiterated its call for sustained international coordination to address root causes of displacement, including full humanitarian access to Rakhine State in Myanmar, while continuing to work with Bangladeshi authorities to promote stability and long-term solutions for Rohingya communities.
