The European Commission (EC) today announced €48.4 million in humanitarian aid to meet the needs of refugees from Southeast Asia, especially Bangladesh and Myanmar.
The funding consists of €24 million for Bangladesh, which is focused on combating the Rohingya ethnic minority’s humanitarian crisis, and more than €22.4 million for Myanmar, where humanitarian needs have increased considerably since the military took power and are increasing exponentially, the EC explained in a statement.
The aid also seeks to respond to the crisis caused by the covid-19 pandemic, which has further worsened the humanitarian situation in the region.
A portion of the funding will also support Bangladesh in improving its disaster preparedness in order to increase resilience to natural disasters.
European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said that the needs of conflict-affected and displaced people in Bangladesh and Myanmar continue to increase, thus demanding more humanitarian support.
“With this new funding, the European Union (EU) is once again committed to providing humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable population”, explained Lenarcic, referring to support for operations in the fields of nutrition, shelter, health, water services and sanitation or education.
In the communiqué, the EC recalled that it has been actively assisting Bangladesh since 2002 and Myanmar since 1994, focusing on disaster preparedness and emergency response activities.
Since then, the EU has provided aid to rescue Rohingya refugees and financed emergency assistance to people affected by natural disasters.
In addition, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, part of the EU’s humanitarian funding also supports the response in both countries through the provision of medical supplies and equipment, emergency referral of displaced and sick people in communities affected by the pandemic or strengthening health response capacity in Rohingya refugee camps.
In 2021, the EU contributed €25 million in humanitarian funding to Myanmar and more than €38 million to Bangladesh.
Likewise, three million euros were allocated for the regional refugee crisis in Southeast Asia.
Source: With Agencies