Switzerland boosts Rohingya aid efforts

Switzerland will contribute an extra CHF10 million ($10 million) towards easing the plight of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. This brings total Swiss financial aid to CHF30 million as international humanitarian groups try to raise $920 million.

Some 900,000 Rohingya refugees have been forced to flee Myanmar to Bangladesh in recent years. The Myanmar authorities have been condemned around the world for persecuting the minority group.

Switzerland signalled its support for a Joint Response Plan drawn up in Geneva by 130 international humanitarian organisations. The plan calls for $920 million to meet basic needs of the nearly one million refugees, such as shelter, food, healthcare and sanitation.

The money will also be put to use supporting local Bangladeshi communities who have come under strain from the refugee crisis.

In a statement, the Swiss government said the Rohingya refugee situation “remains acute”. Switzerland will send more experts to help six members of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit currently on the ground in the region.

“Switzerland has also called on Myanmar and Bangladesh to ensure the voluntary return in safety and dignity of displaced Rohingyas to their homes,” the statement read. 

“As a prerequisite for a lasting solution, Switzerland calls for compliance with international law, in particular for the protection and safeguarding of human rights in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, the Rohingyas’ home region.”