Rohingya crisis: CA Yunus thanks Trump for making exemption by continuing support amid aid suspension thru USAID

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Sunday thanked US President Donald Trump for keeping US support to the Rohingyas through USAID programmes despite suspending US aid to all countries for 90 days.

Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Apurba Jahangir confirmed this during a media briefing at the Foreign Service Academy in the evening.

He said High Representative of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus to deal with the Rohingya crisis Khalilur Rahman had a meeting with the US Embassy officials on Sunday.

DPS Apurba referred to USAID's nutrition assistance provided to Rohingya refugees and said this assistance will remain unaffected.

Following Trump's order, USAID suspends aid operations in Bangladesh alongside rest of world

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provides nutrition assistance to Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh.

USAID's efforts include working with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to provide food and nutrition assistance.

The US government has provided nearly $2.4 billion for the Rohingya response since August 2017, including nearly $2 billion in Bangladesh.

Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Shafiqul Alam and Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder were present at the briefing.

US President Donald Trump recently issued an executive order suspending US aid to all countries for 90 days to review it and the decision was not country-specific.

"It's not country-specific," Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when his attention was drawn regarding the executive order.

Some Bangladeshi media have published reports using only the word Bangladesh, which may mislead readers, said the Chief Adviser's press wing.

The interim government expects more clarity from the media to avoid confusion in publishing such news, said the fact-checking wing.

All department and agency heads with responsibility for United States foreign development assistance programs shall immediately pause new obligations and disbursements of development assistance funds to foreign countries and implementing non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and contractors pending reviews of such programs for programmatic efficiency and consistency with United States foreign policy, to be conducted within 90 days of this order, according to an executive order issued on January 20 which was shared by the White House.

Following the president's executive order, USAID issued an "Immediate Stop Work Order" to its implementing partners around the world.

The head of communications at Care Bangladesh, one of USAID's implementing partners, confirmed to UNB that they had received the order.

"We received such a letter soon after Trump was sworn in on January 20," said Tony Michael Gomes, communications director of Care Bangladesh.

The US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) shall enforce the pause through its apportionment authority.

The responsible department and agency heads, in consultation with the Director of OMB, will make determinations within 90 days of the order on whether to continue, modify, or cease each foreign assistance program based upon the review recommendations, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State.

New obligations and disbursements of foreign development assistance funds may resume for a program prior to the end of the 90-day period if a review is conducted, and the Secretary of State or his designee, in consultation with the Director of OMB, decide to continue the program in the same or modified form. 

Besides, any other new foreign assistance programs and obligations must be approved by the Secretary of State or his designee, in consultation with the Director of OMB.

The Secretary of State may waive the pause for specific programs.  Initially, military aid programs to Egypt and Israel have received the waiver.