REFUGEES INTERNATIONAL: Advocacy for Rohingya Refugees

Refugees International has advocated for the rights and safety of the Rohingya people since the 1990s. In 2020, we launched our #CallitGenocide campaign, urging the U.S. government to make a determination that the crimes the Myanmar military committed against the Rohingya people in 2017 amounted to genocide. In March of 2022, the U.S. government made this important determination. The determination bolsters international support and accountability and is a solid sign of commitment to justice for all the people who continue to face abuses by the military junta to this very day. In 2022, Refugees International also campaigned for the passage of the BURMA Act, which would enact steps to hold the Myanmar military accountable and get much-needed humanitarian aid to the region. In December 2022, thanks in part to Refugees International’s advocacy, Congress included large parts of the BURMA Act in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022 (NDAA). Also in December 2022, the U.S. government announced a program Refugees International has called for to resettle at least 50,000 Rohingya from Bangladesh and elsewhere in the region in the coming year. This program should serve as a catalyst for further resettlement offers from the United States and other countries.