The UK is providing an additional £5.2 million (Tk 73.2 crore) of humanitarian support to forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals in Bangladesh.
The British High Commission in Dhaka on Thursday said the UK announced this at the launch of the 2024 humanitarian appeal for the Rohingya response in Bangladesh, the Joint Response Plan, in Geneva on Wednesday.
Implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP), International Organization for Migration (IOM), and UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), this new package of UK assistance will provide food and cooking gas to Rohingya refugees in CoxÕs Bazar.
British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Sarah Cooke, said, ÒI am pleased to announce this new package of £5.2 million to respond to humanitarian needs in the refugee camps in CoxÕs Bazar, and provide vital food and cooking gas to the Rohingya.”
The UK stands with Rohingya refugees and neighbouring Bangladeshi communities affected by this crisis, she said.
“We recognise BangladeshÕs significant efforts in its hosting of the Rohingya, and remain committed to finding a long-term solution,” said the High Commissioner.
ÒIn the interim, we are providing humanitarian assistance to support those affected. We will be announcing additional support later this year,” she said.
This new UK support includes, £2.8m to WFP to provide food to over 311,600 Rohingya refugees while £2.4m to IOM and UNHCR to provide cooking gas to over 489,800 Rohingya refugees.
Since 2017, the UK has provided £379 million of humanitarian support to Rohingya refugees and neighbouring communities in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.2 million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals in Cox’s Bazar. Most of them arrived here after a brutal military crackdown, which the UN called a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” and other rights groups dubbed as “genocide”.
