Bangladesh is “temporarily sheltering” over a million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. This costs the country enormous resources. This is where the humanitarian agencies step in.
Over 130 indigenous and international humanitarian organisations have partnered for the launch of the 2022 Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis.
Co-hosted by the Government of Bangladesh, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the JRP will also, for the first time, extend to include humanitarian activities on Bhasan Char, an island in the Bay of Bengal, to which the Bangladesh Government has relocated over 24,000 Rohingya refugees.
“Humanitarian agencies are seeking more than $881 million to support approximately 1.4 million people, including over 918,000 Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char, and around 540,000 Bangladeshis in neighbouring communities,” UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch told journalists during a press briefing in Geneva.
Bangladesh is “temporarily sheltering” over a million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. This costs the country enormous resources. This is where the humanitarian agencies step in.
“It is critical to continue to scale up essential humanitarian services on the island, including in the areas of health, protection, nutrition, education, and livelihoods and skills building,” underscored the UNHCR official.
Precarious location
Given their geography, the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar are especially vulnerable to natural disasters.
This year’s JRP accordingly highlighted the need for enhanced efforts towards disaster risk management and climate change mitigation, including through reforestation and energy interventions.
“The steadfast support from the international community has been, and will be, crucial in delivering lifesaving protection and assistance services for Rohingya refugees,” he said.
“While they are in Bangladesh, it is important that Rohingya refugees are able to live in safety and with dignity, and that they can develop the skills and capacities that could support their sustainable return”.
Returning to Myanmar
The UNHCR spokesperson explained that many of the people on the move long to again live in their own country.
A military coup which took place in February last year, followed by a brutal crackdown on popular protests, has created a political, economic and “profound” human rights crisis across Myanmar, leaving the country in turmoil, the UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet warned earlier this month.
“Many Rohingya refugees continue to express their desire to return home when conditions allow,” he said.
“The solutions ultimately lie within Myanmar”.
Image: Amos Halder, UNHCR
