The UK shows support for Bangladesh today (16 November) as
Indo-Pacific Minister meets counterparts in the
Interim Government for the first time.
Since the establishment of the Interim Government in August 2024,
the UK has been clear in its support for Interim Government's
work on accountability and creating a pathway to an inclusive
democratic future for Bangladesh.
During her visit to Dhaka, Minister West will discuss the UK's
ongoing support for political and economic reforms, security,
trade cooperation and UK-Bangladesh migration with Chief Adviser
Professor Muhammad Yunus and Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid
Hossain.
She will meet with student leaders and political parties to
discuss the UK's support for Bangladesh's democratic recovery,
and with business leaders to discuss how the UK government can
continue to create strong ties and boost mutually beneficial
trade and investment.
The recently announced UK funding has already provided food to
200,000 Rohingya refugees for a three-month period. It will now
provide further support to Rohingya refugees with clean water,
hygiene and sanitation services, primary healthcare, protection
services and shelter materials. It will also provide assistance
to those impacted by natural disasters in Bangladesh earlier this
year.
UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific said
“The UK supports the Interim Government's work to build a more
prosperous and democratic future for the Bangladeshi people.
“I am proud to announce new UK funding to support Rohingya
refugees and the Bangladeshi communities which host them with
essential services and assistance.”
British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke Said
“I am delighted to welcome UK Minister for the Indo-Pacific
to Bangladesh. This visit
will deepen and broaden the UK's economic and security
partnership with Bangladesh.
“Bangladesh is currently undergoing a transformation, and as a
longstanding friend, the UK will assist in the economic and
political reforms which will help Bangladesh to continue its
social and economic growth as it moves towards an inclusive and
democratic future.”
Protests over the summer saw shocking loss of life and injuries.
The UK's support following this has included the deployment of a
specialised medical team to care for some of those more
critically wounded during protests over the summer.
Notes to Editors/Background only
The £10.3m of new UK support is intended to provide:
- Clean water, hygiene and sanitation support for up to 11,000
Rohingya refugees, delivered by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- Primary healthcare for 8,000 Rohingya refugees; and support
to address housing, land and property issues in the Rohingya
refugee camps and the communities which host them. This will be
delivered by an NGO consortium that includes Norwegian Refugee
Council (NRC), International Rescue Committee (IRC), Danish
Refugee Council and Humanity and Inclusion (HI).
- Protection services and shelter materials for Rohingya
refugees, delivered by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and UN's
International Organization for Migration (IOM).
- Assistance to support communities recover from natural
disasters in Bangladesh earlier this year, as requested in the
humanitarian appeal launched by the UN in September.
- The funding has already provided food to 200,000 Rohingya
refugees per month for three months earlier this year, delivered
by the UN's World Food Programme (WFP).
Since 2017, the UK has provided £401 million to support the
Rohingya refugees and communities which host them in Bangladesh
with essential assistance and services.
A UK Emergency Medical Team (EMT) is in Bangladesh to provide
specialised medical treatment to students more critically injured
during the July-August 2024 protests. This deployment is taking
place in response to formal requests from Interim Government of
Bangladesh.
