In order to meet the needs of Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh and the surrounding area, the United States announced the provision of almost $199 million in additional humanitarian aid, including nearly $70 million from the U.S. Department of State and over $129 million through USAID.
At a gathering centered around the Rohingya crisis during the UN General Assembly High-level week, Uzra Zeya, the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights at the U.S. Department of State, declared the financing.
USAID’s assistance includes funding from the bipartisan National Security Supplemental as well as $78 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Credit Corporation, which will help to purchase, ship, and distribute approximately 52,200 metric tons of food commodities from American farmers to approximately 610,000 refugees experiencing acute food insecurity in Bangladesh.
It will also support the International Rescue Committee, UNICEF, and the UN World Food Program to provide food, nutrition, and protection assistance to Rohingya refugees and host communities.
Since August 2017, the United States government has contributed approximately $2.5 billion to the regional response for the Rohingya crisis, including over $2.1 billion going to Bangladesh. We urge other donors to step up their help in order to close vital funding gaps and attend to the needs of the most vulnerable. We are steadfast in our commitment to providing aid to populations affected by the crisis in Burma, Bangladesh, and the surrounding area.
