DHAKA: The European Union (EU) is providing €68 million (US$70.9 million) this year for the Rohingya response, the Bangladesh transitional government announced on Monday.
According to Anadolu Ajansi, the funding will support host communities in Bangladesh as well as people affected by violence in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state, the government said in a statement after Muhammad Yunus, head of the transitional government, met with visiting EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib in Dhaka on Monday.
The announcement of financial aid comes amid a severe funding crisis for the persecuted Myanmar national.
The EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management said that while the amount exceeds last year’s initial EU contribution, it is still insufficient to prevent a significant deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the camps.
Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.2 million Rohingya in the southeastern Cox’s Bazar district since they fled a military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017.
Yunus reiterated his government’s commitment to addressing the Rohingya humanitarian crisis, describing it as a “big issue” for Bangladesh.
“It has been going on for several years without any solution,” he added.
“The UN Secretary-General is coming. We are trying to draw international attention to the Rohingya crisis,” said Yunus.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to visit Bangladesh from March 13 to 16.
Meanwhile, the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, Gwyn Lewis, expressed similar concerns about the funding crisis for the Rohingya when she met with Yunus on Sunday. “We are very worried about the money situation,” she said.
