On May 11, Deputy Administrator Coleman completed her trip to Bangladesh to assess the realities on the ground of the humanitarian crisis that has resulted from the genocide against the Rohingya in Burma. She visited Cox’s Bazar district and met with U.S. Government, United Nations (UN), and local non-governmental organization (NGO) partners, and Rohingya leaders to discuss the needs of the nearly one million Rohingya refugees currently living in Cox’s Bazar and on Bhasan Char island.
The Deputy Administrator visited Bhasan Char to better understand conditions on this island refugee camp, and met with UN partners and bilateral donors to discuss international efforts to address food insecurity and malnutrition, maternal and child health, access to education, gender-based violence, and other challenges Rohingya populations face. In Dhaka, the Deputy Administrator met with Dr. Ahmad Kaikus, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina; Foreign Minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen; and Dr. Enamur Rahman, State Minister, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, to discuss the protracted crisis and explore more sustainable solutions to serve Rohingya families in Cox’s Bazar and on Bhasan Char. She thanked the Government of Bangladesh for generously hosting Rohingya refugees and reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to stand with Rohingya refugees, as well as with all refugees everywhere in the world.
On May 10, Deputy Administrator Coleman announced the launch of USAID’s $20.5 million Protibesh climate and environmental conservation activity to protect critical biodiverse areas in Bangladesh from degradation and help communities build long term climate resilience.
At the close of her visit to Bangladesh, Deputy Administrator Coleman spoke with local journalists to discuss a half-century of development progress as a result of 50 years of U.S.-Bangladesh bilateral relationships and USAID’s ongoing support to promote a healthy and thriving Bangladesh.