EU releases additional €22mn in Bangladesh, Myanmar

The European Commission has announced an extra €22 million in humanitarian aid to ensure life-saving support for hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh, as well as Rohingya and other conflict-affected people in Myanmar.

The funding will address immediate needs, including protection services, food assistance, nutrition, health and shelter.

Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, said the Rohingya crisis has reached unprecedented proportions and sustained international solidarity is essential to tackle the enduring humanitarian needs.

"The EU's new aid package underlines our commitment to the most vulnerable refugees and their host communities in Bangladesh, as well as conflict-affected population in Myanmar".

With this additional funding, EU humanitarian aid and disaster preparedness support in Bangladesh this year exceeds €41 million, with a focus on addressing the most pressing needs of Rohingyas and their host communities in the country, according to a message received here from Brussels on Friday.

In Myanmar, EU humanitarian funding now totals over €27 million to respond to increased needs since the military take-over.

In Bangladesh, over 919,000 Rohingya refugees live in with a majority located in congested Cox's Bazar refugee camps.

Approximately 27,000 refugees have been relocated to the island of Bhasan Char. Gaps in humanitarian coverage have a dramatic effect as Rohingya refugees remain entirely dependent on humanitarian aid.

In Myanmar, the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance has sharply increased from 1 million to 14.4 million people since 2021, and there are currently 936 700 internally displaced people reported in the country, while humanitarian access is increasingly constrained.

The EU has been actively helping people in Bangladesh (since 2002) and Myanmar (since 1994) with a keen focus on disaster preparedness and emergency response activities, providing life-saving support to Rohingya refugees and funding emergency assistance to people affected by natural hazards.