Embassy of the United States of America
Public Affairs Section
Tel: 880-2-55662000
Fax: 880-2-9881677, 9885688
E-mail: DhakaPA@state.gov
Website: https://bd.usembassy.gov
FACT SHEET
U.S. PROVIDES $156 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT THE ROHINGYA CRISIS RESPONSE IN BANGLADESH
DHAKA, October 8, 2018—During October, 2018 United Nations ministerial-level meeting on Burma, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced more than $185 million in additional humanitarian assistance for those in Burma and Bangladesh who have been affected by the Rohingya crisis. This additional funding brings U.S. humanitarian assistance in response to the Rohingya crisis to nearly $389 million since the outbreak of violence in Burma in August 2017.
The new funding includes $156 million for Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh to support the implementation of critical emergency services, including protection, emergency shelter, food, water, sanitation, health care, and psychosocial support. Since August 2017, more than 725,000 Rohingya refugees have fled violence in Burma’s Rakhine State, crossing the border into Bangladesh. Bangladesh now hosts approximately one million Rohingya refugees.
We appreciate the generosity and the commitment from the government and people of Bangladesh, as well as our humanitarian NGO and international organization partners, including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN World Food Program (WFP), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), and others.
In addition to humanitarian funding, the U.S. Government, through USAID, is providing more than $200 million in annual development assistance to Bangladesh. In Cox’s Bazar, USAID helps improve the lives of Bangladeshis, including those in communities hosting refugees, through programs that expand economic opportunity, advance health and education, and ensure human rights and practices. Examples of this assistance include services for victims of trafficking, cyclone shelters, and support for Smiling Sun Clinics. Other USG assistance to Cox’s Bazar host communities includes the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s McGovern-Dole school feeding program, which provides nearly 48,000 primary school children in Cox’s Bazar with a daily high energy biscuit, establishes school gardens, and improves the health and dietary practices within the local communities.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also provides direct technical and scientific support on public health issues facing the Rohingya. CDC is working with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), the WHO, UNICEF, and other partners, to better understand nutrition, immunization, and water and sanitation status of the Rohingya to inform planning and implementation of future health initiatives. Earlier this year, CDC provided laboratory training and supplies that allowed the MoHFW to confirm diphtheria as the source of a large outbreak in the camps.
The United States remains committed to helping those affected by this conflict and commend the government and people of Bangladesh, who have responded swiftly and generously to the refugees arriving in Bangladesh.
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U.S. EMBASSY ROHINGYA FUNDING FACT SHEET (PDF 336 KB)
