US government Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya pledged nearly US$61 million to support Rohingya internally displaced in Myanmar as well as Rohingya refugees and their host communities in Bangladesh.

The funding is out of $74 million in additional US assistance to support humanitarian responses in the region, and it was announced on 13 July during a meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, according to the statement by the US Department of State.

With the new funding, total US humanitarian assistance for Rohingya and other persons affected by ongoing violence across Myanmar has reached more than $2.1 billion since August 2017, when 740,000 Rohingya fled genocide, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing in Burma’s Rakhine State for safety in Bangladesh.

In Bangladesh, the new humanitarian assistance will provide life-sustaining support to the nearly 980,000 Rohingya refugees, many of whom are survivors of genocide, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing, and to 540,000 generous host community members.

The assistance will enable the provision of food, safe drinking water, health care, protection, education, shelter, and psychosocial support. In Myanmar, the funding will assist in meeting the critical humanitarian needs of IDPs and other vulnerable groups, including for Rohingya and other conflict-affected populations in Rakhine State as well as for those in newly-emerged conflict areas since the February 2021 military coup.

In the statement, the US Department of State also urged other donors to contribute robustly to the humanitarian response and increase support to those driven from, and affected by the ongoing crisis in Myanmar.

The US has also expressed its appreciation for the generosity of the government and people of Bangladesh and other Rohingya-hosting countries in the region, while it expresses concern about the military regime’s escalating violence in Myanmar.

The statement also includes the commitment of the US government to finding lasting solutions to the crisis, including the safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable return and reintegration of displaced Rohingya when conditions in Myanmar allow, while commending its humanitarian partners, including the many Rohingya volunteers, for the lifesaving work they continue to do every day.