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Australia has announced an additional A$25.25 million in humanitarian assistance to support Rohingya refugees and their host communities in Bangladesh.
The funding was announced on Monday by the Australian government and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). An agreement was signed at the Padma State Guest House in Dhaka by Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Susan Ryle and UNHCR Acting Country Representative Juliette Murekeyisoni.
The signing ceremony was attended by Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman and Australia’s Assistant Minister Julian Hill.
The new Australian funding will be channelled through UNHCR to provide life-saving assistance and protection services for Rohingya refugees and the communities hosting them. The support will help ensure access to emergency food, clean water, shelter, protection, education and healthcare, with a particular focus on the needs of women, children and people with disabilities.
Australia said the multi-year funding arrangement will enable humanitarian agencies to sustain essential services and respond more effectively to evolving needs in the refugee camps.
The contribution forms part of Australia’s new A$370 million three-year humanitarian assistance package for the Rohingya crisis. Since the mass displacement of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar in 2017, Australia has committed a total of A$1.26 billion in humanitarian assistance to support affected communities in Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Australian High Commissioner Susan Ryle said Australia’s assistance to the humanitarian crises in Bangladesh and Myanmar represents one of the country’s largest global humanitarian responses. She reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to standing by displaced Rohingya refugees and the Bangladeshi communities that continue to host them.
