“And, critically, to ensure unhindered and sustained humanitarian access to all people requiring assistance,” he added, during an interaction with journalists at a briefing in the city.

On Tuesday in Geneva, at the launch of the 2020 Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis, the United States announced more than $59 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh, and internally displaced Rohingya and other affected communities within Myanmar.

The US Ambassador said his country remains the leading contributor to the humanitarian response, as they have been each year since the latest outbreak of violence unleashed in August 2017. 

“With this new funding announcement, our total humanitarian assistance reaches almost $820 million, of which nearly $693 million is for programs inside Bangladesh,” said Ambassador Miller.

He said the US funding, including yesterday’s announcement, helps address the emergency needs of more than 900,000 refugees in Bangladesh, as well as the needs of the Bangladeshi communities in Cox’s Bazar affected by the ongoing crisis. 

The US Ambassador said Washington remains committed to ensuring humanitarian and development assistance for the Bangladeshi communities, noting their generosity in hosting the Rohingya refugees.

“We are proud the 2020 Joint Response Plan reflects an increased policy focus on their (host communities) challenges,” he said.

The US envoy said the United States cannot meet this crisis’ tremendous needs alone.  “We welcome the contributions many donors have made in recent months.  We continue to call on other countries to contribute as well.”

The US commended the government of Bangladesh’s generosity in responding to this crisis and its continued efforts to ensure assistance reaches the affected populations – both Rohingya and Bangladeshi.