The Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) has urged the Australian Government to increase urgent humanitarian assistance to refugees displaced in Asia, as cuts to US foreign aid have left communities struggling to find sufficient food to survive.
Among the hardest hit are more than one million stateless Rohingya refugees, displaced from Myanmar and living in Bangladesh in temporary shelters in the world’s largest refugee camp near Cox’s Bazar and on the island of Bhasan Char.
The World Food Program (WFP) has announced that food rations will be halved as a result of cuts to international aid, worsening an already dire situation.
Nearly half of the Rohingya refugee children are showing physical signs of malnutrition, with 15% of children under the age of five severely affected. Conditions in Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee camp, have reached a breaking point. The ongoing humanitarian crisis is a direct consequence of diminishing international aid, and unless immediate action is taken, lives will be lost.
The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has warned that these cuts will drive more Rohingya and other refugees to risk dangerous sea journeys in search of safety, which poses life-threatening risks.
Around 100,000 refugees also displaced from Myanmar and living in nine camps in Thailand close to the Myanmar border have been hit by cuts to food assistance, essential medical services and critical supplies needed to maintain access to clean water.
The Refugee Council of Australia calls on the Australian Government to uphold its promise to provide continued support to those suffering in the camps.
RCOA CEO Paul Power says Australia’s support for refugees in Asia has been critically important, including substantial commitments to support Rohingya and Afghan refugees announced at the 2023 Global Refugee Forum.
“With the USA withdrawing vital support for refugees trapped in our region, it is essential that the Australian Government uses the upcoming Federal Budget to reaffirm its international commitments to support refugees on our doorstep.
“The Australian Government can send a strong and positive message on behalf of all Australians that, at a time of critical need, we will forget neither the people in our region who have been forced from their homes by persecution and conflict, nor the communities across Asia who are generously hosting them.”