PRESS STATEMENT
ANTONY J. BLINKEN, SECRETARY OF STATE
SEPTEMBER 22, 2022
The United States today announced more than $170 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Rohingya people inside and outside Burma, as well as host communities in Bangladesh. With this new funding, our total assistance in response to the Rohingya refugee crisis has reached nearly $1.9 billion since August 2017, when more than 740,000 Rohingya were forced to flee to safety in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
This additional humanitarian assistance includes more than $93 million through the State Department and more than $77 million through USAID. With nearly $138 million for programs specifically in Bangladesh, it provides lifesaving support to more than 940,000 Rohingya refugees, many of whom are survivors of a campaign of genocide and crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. and to 540,000 generous members of the host community in Bangladesh. It will allow the provision of food, drinking water, health care, protection, education, shelter and psychosocial support. We urge other donors to contribute vigorously to the humanitarian response and to increase their support for those driven out and affected by the violence in Burma.
The United States salutes the generosity of the government and people of Bangladesh and other countries hosting Rohingya in the region. Recognizing that conditions in Burma currently do not allow for the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return and reintegration of displaced Rohingya, we are working with the Government of Bangladesh, the Rohingya and the people of Burma to find solutions to the crisis. We also commend our humanitarian partners for the vital work they continue to do every day.
