The United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees will co-host a donor conference on October 22 to promote support for Rohingya refugees and their host countries.

At the virtual conference, they will urge countries to increase assistance for Rohingya refugees, and host communities and internally displaced people in Myanmar, said a joint statement of US, EU, UK and UNHCR on Thursday.

The UN appealed for more than $1 billion in aid to meet the humanitarian needs of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh this year, but so far less than half had been contributed, the statement noted.

The conference aimed to urgently raise funds to help displaced Rohingya living in and outside of Myanmar. The funds raised were also expected to support critical services in host communities throughout South and Southeast Asia.

Funds raised at the conference will go to international organisations and non-governmental organisations working to alleviate the crisis on the ground in Myanmar, throughout the region, and as specified by the UN-led Joint Response Plan in Bangladesh, said the statement.

The conference will be an opportunity for the co-hosts to reiterate that any sustainable solution to this crisis must include the voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees and other displaced people to their homes or to a place of their choosing.

In this respect, the co-hosts will repeat the UN secretary general’s call for a global ceasefire and the cessation of fighting to enable safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to all communities in need of assistance.