The European Union brings relief to rescued Rohingya in Indonesia
The European Union brings relief to rescued Rohingya in Indonesia
The European Union is allocating €35,000 (some IDR 573 million) to provide critical humanitarian assistance to 99 Rohingya rescued and allowed to disembark in Indonesia after more than 120 gruelling days at sea.
The EU funding supports the Indonesian Red Cross Society (PMI) in delivering water, sanitary facilities, healthcare, psychosocial support, as well as crucial materials, such as sleeping mats and blankets, hygiene items and personal protective equipment. PMI teams will also carry out hygiene promotion, focusing on coronavirus and dengue fever. In addition, the funding supports efforts to restore and maintain contact between separated family members.
The funding is part of the EU’s overall contribution to the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Fleeing persecution in Myanmar and refugee camps in Bangladesh, the Rohingya have for years boarded boats to get to Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. The coronavirus pandemic has made the situation worse as regional countries have closed their borders, leaving some boats drifting for weeks with hundreds of Rohingya aboard. On 25 June, 99 Rohingya migrants were allowed to disembark in Indonesia after their damaged boat was identified near the coastline of Seunudon, in Indonesia’s North Aceh region. The migrants, originally from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, were transferred to a transitional shelter in the city of Lhokseumawe but preparations are underway to transfer them to an alternative facility.
Background
The European Union, together with its Member States, is the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity towards people in need around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.
Through its European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the European Union helps over 120 million victims of conflicts and disasters every year. For more information, please visit ECHO’s website ((https://ec.europa.eu/echo).
The European Commission has signed a €3 million humanitarian contribution agreement with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the Federation’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF). Funds from the DREF are mainly allocated to “small-scale” disasters – those that do not give rise to a formal international appeal.
The Disaster Relief Emergency Fund was established in 1985 and is supported by contributions from donors. Each time a National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society needs immediate financial support to respond to a disaster, it can request funds from the DREF. For small-scale disasters, the IFRC allocates grants from the Fund, which can then be replenished by the donors. The contribution agreement between the IFRC and ECHO enables the latter to replenish the DREF for agreed operations (that fit in with its humanitarian mandate) up to a total of €3 million.