Lithuania has allocated funds for humanitarian aid to the Myanmar refugees
Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs allocated 20 thousand euros for humanitarian aid to Myanmar refugees. The funds will be transferred to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The armed clashes between the Arakan Rohingya Rescue Army and the Myanmar Army in the north of the country, which started on 25 August 2017, have triggered a major humanitarian crisis. According to the United Nations (UN), more than 600 thousand Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh. The needs for humanitarian assistance in all sectors are urgent and vital: food, water, shelter, medical, sanitary measures, etc.
The challenges of this currently fastest growing refugee crisis include unaccompanied minors, physical and sexual violence against women, the risk of trafficking in human beings, family reunification, identification and assistance to people with special needs.
The UN has announced a humanitarian response plan for the Rohingya refugee crisis, which will be implemented in September 2017 - February 2018. The financial needs are estimated at 434 million US dollars.
On 23 October 2017 UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Organization for Migration, together with the European Union and Kuwait, organized a donors' conference in Geneva, during which the international community has pledged 344 million US dollars in humanitarian aid to the Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh. At the conference, Lithuania also announced its pledge to support humanitarian assistance to the Myanmar refugees.
