Statement by Acting Spokesperson Pooja Jhunjhunwala

Today in New York, the United States announced more than $127 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh and internally displaced Rohingya and members of other affected communities in Burma. This funding will help address the emergency needs of some of the more than 900,000 refugees in Bangladesh, many of whom are Rohingya women and children from Rakhine State, Burma, as well as the related needs of Bangladeshi host communities. This funding will also provide life-saving assistance to internally displaced persons, including Rohingya, and members of other affected communities in Burma, including those affected by the fighting between the Burmese military and the Arakan Army.

The United States remains the leading contributor to the humanitarian response to this crisis in Burma and Bangladesh, providing more than $669 million since the outbreak of violence in August 2017. However, the United States cannot meet the crisis's tremendous funding needs alone. We welcome the contributions that some Member States have made to this humanitarian response in recent months, and we encourage them to do more and call on other countries and stakeholders to contribute.

U.S. assistance provides protection, emergency shelter, food, nutrition, health, psychosocial support, education, and water, sanitation, and hygiene support for people affected by the crisis, among other activities. This funding also includes programs to improve disaster preparedness and bolster access to education for Rohingya in Bangladesh, which will be key to preventing instability in the camps and preparing Rohingya for voluntary repatriation when conditions are conducive to such returns.

The United States commends the Government of Bangladesh's generosity in responding to this humanitarian crisis and appreciates its continued efforts to ensure assistance reaches the affected populations. The U.S. government remains committed to ensuring that humanitarian and development assistance continues to reach the Bangladeshi communities who have so generously hosted Rohingya refugees.

We continue to call on Burma to create the conditions that would allow for voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable returns, based on the informed consent of those who have been forcibly displaced. We encourage the Government of Burma to work with the Government of Bangladesh to facilitate the use of the Burmese curriculum to teach Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. This will help facilitate the reintegration of Rohingya youth who choose to return to Burma.