The United States is providing an additional nearly $32 million in humanitarian assistance to address the urgent needs of Rohingya fleeing violence from Rakhine State, Burma to Bangladesh, as well as internally displaced persons in Rakhine State, and host communities in Bangladesh.

The United States announced this support during the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly in New York. Among other priorities, one of the primary themes of this year’s General Assembly is bolstering support for humanitarian assistance to ongoing emergencies, in particular for refugees and the communities that host them.

The new funding brings US humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons in Burma and refugees from Burma in the region to nearly $95 million in FY 2017, and it reflects the US commitment to help address the unprecedented magnitude of suffering and urgent humanitarian needs of the Rohingya people.

‘We applaud the Government of Bangladesh’s generosity in responding to this severe humanitarian crisis and appreciate their continued efforts to ensure assistance reaches people in need’, the State Department said Wednesday.

The rapid influx of hundreds of thousands of refugees has strained resources and overwhelmed humanitarian agencies and local authorities. Through this support, the United States will help provide emergency shelter, food security, nutritional assistance, health assistance, psychosocial support, water, sanitation and hygiene, livelihoods, social inclusion, non-food items, disaster and crisis risk reduction, restoring family links, and protection to over 400,000 displaced persons in Burma and in Bangladesh.

US humanitarian assistance supports the operations of the United Nations, other international organizations, and non-governmental organisations operating across the region. The United States calls upon all parties to allow for unfettered humanitarian access to people in Rakhine State, Burma, and we also encourage other donors to join us in providing additional humanitarian assistance for those affected by the crisis.