Government Provides $10 Million Support for Rohingya Refugees

Deputy Minister Lee Tae-ho Attends Donor Conference for Rohingya Refugee Support

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 22nd, Lee Tae-ho, the 2nd Vice Minister, attended a donor country video conference to continue support for Rohingya refugee response, stating that the international community should provide more support not only for urgent humanitarian aid to Rohingya refugees but also for long-term measures to strengthen social cohesion and development within Rakhine State, Myanmar. He also announced that the Korean government will actively participate in this effort.

Co-hosted by the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), this meeting was held to raise international awareness of the humanitarian crisis faced by Rohingya refugees, which has worsened due to the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and to reaffirm the commitment of stakeholders, donor countries, and international organizations to continuous support aimed at fundamentally resolving the humanitarian crisis in the region.

The meeting was attended by major countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union (EU), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as well as Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, France, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Kuwait, and others, along with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the World Food Programme (WFP), and NGOs.

Vice Minister Lee noted the measures taken by the Myanmar government for the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of refugees and expressed hope that the Myanmar government will continue to cooperate with the United Nations and regional countries to achieve meaningful progress in the future.

Furthermore, Vice Minister Lee evaluated the international community’s efforts regarding the humanitarian crisis faced by Rohingya refugees and announced that the Korean government is providing a total of 10 million USD in humanitarian aid to the region this year.

Through this meeting, participants agreed on the necessity for the international community to continue supporting Rohingya refugees, internally displaced persons within Myanmar, and refugee-hosting countries, and pledged to work together to devise measures for the fundamental improvement of the situation in the region.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "The government will continue to support vulnerable groups such as women, children, and refugees in regions experiencing humanitarian crises and actively participate in international discussions aimed at fundamentally resolving chronic humanitarian crises."