UK announces extra £87 million funding for Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh

The United Kingdom is making available an additional £87 million for sustaining the Rohingya refugee operation in Cox’s Bazar, lifting our contribution from the start of the crisis in August 2017 to a total of £226 million. The additional funding will help provide food, healthcare, water, sanitation, care and counselling for sexual violence survivors, and protection for vulnerable groups.

Over £20 million is being made available to support development in the Cox’s Bazar district to mitigate the economic and environmental impact the Rohingya crisis is having on the local communities. We are working to ensure that the international response benefits all the district’s population.

International Development Secretary Alok Sharma said

“It is hard to truly grasp the size of the humanitarian crisis faced by the Rohingya people. More than 700,000 were forced to flee their home in the face of horrific brutality.

“The UK has worked with the Government of Bangladesh to provide lifesaving aid, including food, water and shelter, as well education and counselling as they rebuild their lives.

“Women and girls represent over half of the camp population in Bangladesh, and this new funding will provide vital support for them, such as critical reproductive health care, and a new emergency shelter for survivors of severe gender-based violence and trafficking.

“This support announced today demonstrates our continued commitment to the Rohingya people.”

The new funding will help maintain the humanitarian operation in the camps and increase investment in the communities of Cox’s Bazar to help reverse the impact of the refugee presence and improve social cohesion. This will also enable the Government of Bangladesh and the international community to find longer-term solutions for the Rohingya people.

The expected results from this new funding are as follows

• Over £20 million new support to the thousands of already vulnerable Bangladeshi families, who now have nearly one million refugees living in their district
• Over 450,000 refugees will receive protection; including Rohingya women and girls, who have been subject to sexual violence, and children that have survived abduction and trafficking.
• Over 500,000 medical consultations will be provided through 27 primary health care and mobile clinics, along with the early warning system for disease outbreaks.
• Over 250,000 refugees and 50,000 people from the local community will receive clean water and sanitation.
• Covering the basic food needs of 100,000 refugees for a whole year, and containers to protect the food of 150,000 families.
• Providing cooking gas for over 31,000 families, so helping to stop further forest destruction.

British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Robert Chatterton Dickson said

“The UK and Bangladesh have a strong and enduring partnership, which continues to deepen as Bangladesh transitions to becoming a middle-income country.

“We greatly appreciate the remarkable generosity and humanity the government and the people of Bangladesh have shown in hosting the Rohingya people.

“The overarching aim must remain finding a solution to this crisis, so that the Rohingya can voluntarily return to Myanmar in safety and dignity. The UK remains committed to ensuring that conditions are put in place to allow this to happen.

Head of DFID Bangladesh, Judith Herbertson said

“Since August 2017, UK aid from British taxpayers has contributed £226 million to provide life-sustaining humanitarian assistance to almost one million Rohingya people.

“This additional £87 million will help deliver stability and security for the Rohingya and for vulnerable local communities in Cox’s Bazar who have been affected by the crisis.

“We appreciate the enormous generosity of the Government of Bangladesh and the people of Cox’s Bazar. And we pay tribute to all those working tirelessly to support the Rohingya living in the camps.”

Further information

Email: Dhaka.Press@fco.gov.uk

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