The UK urges world never to turn away from Rohingya’s suffering
The United Kingdom has pledged life-saving support for Rohingya and urged the global community never to “turn away from Rohingya’s suffering”.
"Today I urge the world never to turn from the Rohingya’s suffering also to take the action essential to permit them to safely return to the homes they fled in terror," said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Thursday.
The UK announced £47.5million new UK aid to support 860,000 Rohingyas and help Bangladesh cope with coronavirus and natural disasters, according to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDC).
This extra support comes ahead of a pledging conference co-hosted by the united kingdom, US, EU, and UNCHR today and follows UK sanctions on perpetrators of violence against the Rohingya people.
This announcement comes as the united kingdom co-hosts a major international summit on the Rohingya crisis, along with the US, EU, and UNHCR, to bring together the international community to improve much-needed funds for the humanitarian response.
At the conference, FCDO Minister for South Asia and the Commonwealth Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon will reiterate that steps should be taken to work at the voluntary, safe, and dignified return of the Rohingya with their homes in Myanmar.
Some 860,000 Rohingya stay in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, without formal education or careers. Coronavirus has made the problem in the packed and unsanitary camps a lot more desperate.
This new funding announced by the Foreign Secretary provides thousands of vulnerable persons with food, healthcare, water, and sanitation, and also care and counseling for all those traumatized by the violence they have observed.
It will also improve the usage of education for 50,000 young people, as well as create isolation and treatment centers for individuals suffering from coronavirus.
Alongside this, the united kingdom aid package will support communities in Bangladesh, as the country hosting the best number of Rohingya refugees.
It'll strengthen its health system to react to COVID-19 and continue the UK’s support to help Bangladesh become more resilient to natural disasters such as for example flooding.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the persons moving into Cox’s Bazar face unimaginable hardship and several have been victims of violence.
"We've imposed sanctions on the perpetrators of the brutality, which new funding helps you to save lives in the camp and help Bangladesh are more resilient to disasters such as for example coronavirus," Raab said.
Today’s summit provides countries together showing solidarity for the Rohingya people, express support for nations hosting them as refugees and urge countries to pledge funds to the humanitarian crisis which this year is critically underfunded.
The UN has estimated it needs $1billion this year to greatly help Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh but so far less than half of this has been raised.
In August 2017, thousands of Rohingya left the country to flee brutal and systematic violence.
Since then, the UK has sanctioned two generals in the Myanmar military, as recommended by a UN independent investigation, which found them in charge of atrocities which amount to ethnic cleansing.
In addition to the Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh, up to 150,000 are living in other countries in your community and an estimated 600,000 live in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
Today’s announcement brings the full total UK aid commitment to the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh, which commenced in 2017, to near £300 million.
It offers £37.5million to supply humanitarian assistance in Cox’s Bazar and £10million in support for Bangladesh to greatly help the country react to coronavirus and natural disasters like flooding.
This new funding will provide food, shelter, health, protection, water and sanitation, and support for traumatized and vulnerable women and girls.
The conference will run from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 pm (London time).
Funds raised at the conference will head to international organizations and non-governmental organizations attempting to alleviate the crisis on the ground in Myanmar, through the entire region, and as specified by the UN-led Joint Response Plan (JRP) in Bangladesh.
