Dhaka: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said the United States was one of the first international donors to the Rakhine State crisis, providing nearly $204 million in life-saving assistance to those displaced in Myanmar, Rohingya and other refugees in Bangladesh, and host communities since August 2017.

‘We’ll continue to help the world’s most vulnerable refugees, reflecting the deeply held values of the American people,’ Secretary Pompeo said in a press statement commemorating the World Refugee Day, reports the UNB.

He said they extend the support through active humanitarian diplomacy, humanitarian assistance, and tireless efforts to end conflicts and achieve durable solutions for persecuted people around the world.

‘On World Refugee Day, we join the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and our international partners in commemorating the strength, courage, and resilience of millions of refugees worldwide who have been forced to flee their homes due to persecution and conflict,’ said the US Secretary of State.

As global displacement has reached record levels, it is vital that new actors - including governments, international financial institutions, and the private sector - come to the table to assist in the global response to address it, he said.

Pompeo said the United States will continue to be a world leader in providing humanitarian assistance and working to forge political solutions to the underlying conflicts that drive displacement.

The United States provides more humanitarian assistance than any other single country worldwide, including to refugees, according to the US State Department.

In FY 2017 alone, the United States provided more than $8 billion in life-saving humanitarian assistance, which included food, shelter, healthcare, education, and vocational training and livelihoods to tens of millions of crisis-affected people worldwide, including refugees.

This assistance is provided as close to refugees’ homes as possible in order to facilitate their voluntary, safe, and dignified return if and when conditions allow.

This commitment to the world’s most vulnerable individuals remains a critical component of America’s national security policy.

Since 1975, the United States has accepted more than 3.3 million refugees for permanent resettlement - more than any other country in the world.

‘The United States will continue to prioritise the admission of the most vulnerable refugees while upholding the safety and security of the American people,’ he said.