The United States welcomes the signing of a Memorandum of
Understanding, or MOU, by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UN Development
Program, and the Burmese government to support the creation of conditions
conducive to the voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return of Rohingya
refugees to Burma.
“This is a positive step,” said State Department
spokesperson Heather Nauert. “We see this MOU as a confidence-building measure
that, if effectively implemented, could allow much-needed humanitarian
assistance to reach all affected communities and assist Burma in creating the
necessary conditions for voluntary return and to support recovery and
resilience-based development for the benefit of all communities living in
Rakhine State.”
VOA listen here: https://editorials.voa.gov/a/4441215.html
VOA listen here: https://editorials.voa.gov/a/4441215.html
Since last August, over 700,000 Rohingya people have fled
violence in Burma's Rakhine State and crossed the border into Cox's Bazar,
Bangladesh, a District that already was hosting more than 200,000 Rohingya
refugees. In addition, 8.3 million people in Burma live in areas affected by
conflict, not only in Rakhine State, but throughout the country. This conflict,
and the ensuing displacement of people, has created one of the world's largest
humanitarian crises.
As the world’s largest humanitarian donor, the United has
contributed nearly $204 million to the Rakhine crisis response since the
outbreak of violence in August 2017. The total U.S. humanitarian assistance for
displaced people in and from Burma comes to more than $299 million since the
beginning of fiscal year 2017.
The United States encourages the Burmese government to
fulfill its commitment to work with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and
the UN Development Program, and implement the recommendations of the Kofi
Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.