UK continues to provide support for Burma
Funding from Britain is providing food, clean water, sanitation and a major livelihoods programme.
Britain’s funding to Rakhine is helping to ensure over 126,000 displaced people have access to food, clean water and sanitation as well working to tackle gender based violence. In particular, it is providing support to pregnant and breastfeeding women and children under 5. In addition, the UK is supporting community dialogue and reconciliation and a major rural livelihoods programme in the region.
Since 2012 the UK has provided over £18 million in humanitarian aid for people in Rakhine, following an additional £6.2 million committed earlier this year, making it one of the largest humanitarian donors in the region. This takes Britain’s budget for Burma to £82 million for 2015-16.
International Development Minister Desmond Swayne said:
This is an incredibly complex issue with no easy answers. It is clear that the desperate living conditions and lack of basic rights faced in Burma by the Rohingya are driving these people to make the dangerous journey to other countries in the region.
These issues require a strong regional response and we welcomed the international coordination meeting held in Thailand last month. However, it is also essential to tackle the root causes that drive people to flee their homes. The UK is already playing its part providing vital humanitarian support to Rakhine alongside our other programmes across the country.