UNHCR Appeals for Renewed Support for Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

Geneva: UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, is appealing for much greater efforts to secure both financial support and solutions for the Rohingya.
 
This week marks five years since more than 700,000 Rohingya women, men and children fled Myanmar for Bangladesh, joining hundreds of thousands of other Rohingya who had sought and found refuge in the country in previous years. 
 
Since the onset of this humanitarian crisis, the Government of Bangladesh and local communities, with aid agencies, were quick to respond to arriving refugees, providing shelter in what is now the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar.

Five years later, many Rohingya refugees have told UNHCR they wish to return home to Myanmar so long as conditions for safe, dignified and sustainable returns are met and they can enjoy freedom of movement, access to documentation and a pathway to citizenship, as well as access to services and income-generating activities.
 
"For the almost 1 million stateless Rohingya refugees, conditions in Bangladesh are extremely overcrowded, and they remain fully reliant on humanitarian assistance for their survival," UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo told a press briefing on Tuesday.
 
Multiple humanitarian assessment surveys have found that the most commonly unmet needs include proper nutrition, shelter materials, sanitation facilities and livelihood opportunities. 
 
"Protection needs — especially for women, children and people with disabilities — are often under-reported. Violence against children and women, especially gender-based violence, is shrouded in stigma that can render survivors voiceless, often unable to access legal, medical, psycho-social or other forms of support. Support must be stepped up for education, skills development, and livelihood opportunities. These activities will prepare refugees for eventual return while also helping them remain safe and productive during their stay in Bangladesh," Mantoo explained.
 
UNHCR is also appealing for further investment from the international community to ensure Rohingya refugees can benefit from skills development, including vocational training and other forms of capacity-building for adolescent and adult refugees. 
 
This will allow refugees to support their communities and live with dignity in Bangladesh, and above all to prepare them for rebuilding their lives when they can voluntarily and safely return to Myanmar.
 
The support from the international community has been and is crucial in delivering lifesaving protection and assistance services for Rohingya refugees but funding is well short of needs. 
 
The 2022 response plan seeks over US$881 million for more than 1.4 million people, including Rohingya refugees and more than half a million most affected host communities, and is so far funded at only 49 per cent, with US$426.2 million received.
 
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