UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, with other humanitarian partners, today called on the international community to redouble efforts to protect and assist Rohingya refugees and their host communities. Bangladesh is generously hosting nearly a million Rohingya refugees, most of whom fled Myanmar seven years ago.  The 2024 Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis is being launched under the leadership of the Bangladeshi authorities. The funding appeal seeks $852.4 million to reach some 1.35 million people including Rohingya refugees and host communities.  The plan and related financial needs is being presented to donors in Geneva by Ambassador Masud Bin Momen, Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh; Mohammad Tofazzel Hossain Miah, Principal Secretary to the Bangladesh Prime Minister; Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees; and Amy Pope, Director General of the International Organization for Migration. International solidarity with Bangladesh and refugee protection is needed more than ever as the conflict in Myanmar escalates. The Joint Response Plan brings together 117 partners, nearly half of them Bangladeshi organizations. It aims to help some 1 million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar and on the island of Bhasan Char, and 346,000 from host communities, with food, shelter, health care, access to drinkable water, protection services, education and livelihood opportunities and skills development.  Some 95 per cent of Rohingya households in Bangladesh are vulnerable and remain dependent on humanitarian assistance. Sustained assistance is critically and urgently needed, particularly by women and children, who make up more than 75 per cent of the targeted refugee population, and face heightened risks of abuse, exploitation and gender-based violence. More than half of the refugees in the camps are under 18, languishing amidst limited opportunities for education, skills-building and livelihoods. The Government of Bangladesh, local communities and aid agencies need sustained international support to respond to increasing needs as this humanitarian crisis remains largely out of the international spotlight. Underfunding in previous years has had serious implications as Rohingya women, children and men -- who fled to Bangladesh to escape violence and persecution in Myanmar -- struggle to meet basic needs and their plight risks slipping into obscurity. Rohingya refugees remain in limbo relying on humanitarian assistance to survive in crowded camps plagued by insecurity and natural disasters. The international community must continue funding life-saving and life-sustaining assistance to refugees in the camps, investing in education, skills training and livelihood opportunities. This is a lifeline to refugees struggling to meet their basic needs and supplement limited humanitarian assistance. Steps are also needed to ensure pledges made at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva in December are fulfilled. These included enhancing self-reliance for Rohingya to provide hope and reduce the number of dangerous boat journeys taken.

Cox’s Bazar, 7 January2024 – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its humanitarian partners are scrambling to respond to the latest devastating fire that ravaged through Camp 5, one of the 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar that make the largest refugee camp in the world.  Nearly 800 shelters are feared to have been destroyed in the first large fire of 2024, which started around 01:00 in the morning on 7 Januaryand was brought under control by 4 am. Additionally, some 93 shelters were partially damaged, andaround 120facilities, including learning centres, mosques, healthcare centres, latrines and bathing facilities, water points and solar street lights, havealso been destroyed or damaged by the inferno.   So far, there have been no casualties reported yet as a result of the fire. Refugee volunteers were first to respond to the blaze, with community volunteers trained on firefightingsupported by Bangladeshi authorities, UNHCR, IOM, and local firefightersfrom the host community in nearby Ukhiya.  Specialized three-wheeled Mobile Firefighting Units andwater pumps which had been earlier provided by UNHCR were quickly deployed from other camps. Water was also drawn from the water network of WASH partnersas well as nearby streams and ponds to extinguish the fire. Fire corridors,created by removing shelters in the immediate vicinity of the fire during the blaze, ensured the flames did not spread further within the camp.    Refugees displaced by the fire are temporarily taking shelter within the camp’s community centres, including in temporary communal shelters, and are providedwith emergency food assistance including fortified biscuits and hotmeals.  Bangladeshi authorities and humanitarian agencies are on site to assist the people affected in the fire with emergency support, medical and psychologicalfirst aid, and linkingrefugees with other relevant services as required.   In the aftermath of the fire, the Bangladeshi authorities and UNHCR, in coordination with IOM and other UN and NGO partners, as well as refugee volunteers are supporting the Rohingya refugees who lost their shelters and belongings in the devastating blaze during cold weather of the winter season, and assess further needs.  The cause of the fire currently remains unknown, and we are assured by the Government authorities that an investigation into the cause of the fire will be carried out.

The United States is providing an additional $87 million in humanitarian assistance through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to support Rohingya refugees and host communities in Cox’s Bazar.   With this new funding, USAID will work with the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) to provide critically needed food and nutrition assistance, as well as infrastructure maintenance, disaster risk reduction, and self-reliance and livelihoods support.   This additional funding, together with contributions from other donors, will also enable WFP to raise food rations for the nearly one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. The food and nutrition assistance includes electronic vouchers for staple and fresh foods at designated distribution sites, as well as support to feeding programs for malnourished children six months to five years of age and pregnant and lactating women.   In addition, through infrastructure maintenance and disaster risk reduction programming, WFP will work with the community to maintain and improve public infrastructure within the camps.   The United States is the leading contributor of humanitarian assistance in response to the Rohingya crisis, having provided nearly $2.4 billion since the outbreak of violence in August 2017, including nearly $1.9 billion to assist Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh.

Some civil society activists in Pakistan demanded a stop to the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from this country. These protesters said that law enforcement agencies in Pakistan are persecuting Afghan refugees. The Islamic Emirate assured it has made necessary preparations to welcome the refugees and said that more than 400,000 people have returned to the country so far. Some members of the civil society, lawyers and legal and political activists of Pakistan started a rally and demanded to stop the arrests and forced deportations of Afghan refugees from Pakistan. The Joint Action Committee for refugees, which is one of the organizers of this protest, said in a newsletter that after Pakistan's decision to deport illegal refugees, Afghan refugees were harassed by the police and other law enforcement agencies. "They have asked Pakistan to stop the process of refugees being forcibly deported from here and to allow them to stay legally," said Sediq Kakar, an advocate in Pakistan. The Islamic Emirate said Pakistan's decision is cruel but the necessary preparations to deal with the refugees have been made. Zabihullah Mujahid added that more than 400,000 people have returned to the country so far. "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers it its duty to resettle the refugees who return to their homeland and cooperate if we have the facilities and we are sure that the returnee refugees are more than 400,000," said Zabihullah Mujahid. Some returnees from Pakistan also talk about the bad behavior of Pakistani soldiers. "They destroyed our house, we had our own house. The Pakistani police forcibly dragged us and said that we will deport you and you have no right to stay in our country," said Mazuddin, a returnee. Earlier, the former foreign minister of Pakistan said that the policy of the interim government of this country regarding the deportation of illegal refugees is not clear. Source: tolonews.com

The civil society activists in Pakistan have demanded to halt the forced deportation of Afghan refugees from the country, as many of them continue to face harsh circumstances amid the ongoing situation, TOLOnews reported. A demonstration was organised by a few Pakistani lawyers, political activists, and members of civil society who wanted an end to the arrests and forceful removal of Afghan refugees from Pakistan. One of the protest organisers, the Joint Action Committee for Refugees, stated in a newsletter that Afghan refugees were subjected to harassment by the police and other law enforcement authorities following Pakistan’s decision to deport illegal immigrants, according to TOLOnews report. These demonstrators claimed that Afghan refugees are being persecuted by Pakistani law forces. “They have asked Pakistan to stop the process of refugees being forcibly deported from here and to allow them to stay legally,” TOLOnews quoted Sediq Kakar, an advocate in Pakistan, as saying. In response to Pakistan’s decision to deport Afghan migrants from the country by November, the Taliban has said that Islamabad’s decision is cruel but the necessary preparations to deal with the refugees have been made in the country. A senior Taliban official, Zabihullah Mujahid, has said that more than 400,000 individuals have returned to the nation thus far. “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers it its duty to resettle the refugees who return to their homeland and cooperate if we have the facilities and we are sure that the returnee refugees are more than 400,000,” said Zabihullah Mujahid, according to TOLOnews. Meanwhile, a few refugees who returned from Pakistan also discussed their plight and described the despicable actions of the country’s military. “They destroyed our house; we had our own house. The Pakistani police forcibly dragged us and said that we will deport you and you have no right to stay in our country,” a returnee, Mazuddin, stated. According to human rights organisations in Afghanistan, half of the people expelled from Pakistan are women and addressing their needs is becoming increasingly challenging as winter approaches, as per the news report. Pakistan’s decision to expel over a million undocumented Afghan migrants starting in November this year has resulted in more than 327,000 Afghan migrants returning to Afghanistan, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). International human rights organisations have criticised Pakistan’s decision to expel undocumented Afghan migrants, which they have described as unjust, Khaama Press reported. Nearly 400,000 Afghan refugees have returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan in the past two months, TOLO News reported, citing the Taliban’s consul in Karachi, Abdul Jabar Takhari. According to Takhari, the detention of Afghan refugees is still happening at a high rate in Pakistan. He said that nearly 1,000 Afghan refugees are currently in detention. Pakistan’s interim government has decided to deport Afghan migrants forcefully from its country on November 1. 

At least 4.4 million people in 95 countries are stateless or of undetermined nationality, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said on Saturday. In its annual report marking the 9th anniversary of its #IBelong campaign, the UNHCR said the actual figure globally is believed to be significantly higher, "given the relative invisibility of stateless people in national statistical exercises." The cost of being stateless The agency noted that stateless people, often belonging to minority groups, are often deprived of human rights and access to basic services. This leaves them "politically and economically marginalized and vulnerable to discrimination, exploitation and abuse." "With rising global forced displacement, millions are being left on the margins, deprived of their basic human rights, including participating in and contributing to society," said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi. "This exclusion is unjust and must be addressed." In total, 97 countries are now party to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, and 79 are party to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Significant achievements celebrated The refugee agency commended some achievements reported in the past year in several countries. The report celebrated dozens of countries for introducing safeguards in their laws to prevent statelessness or setting up procedures to protect stateless people. It referred to legislative safeguards introduced by the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Moldova to help prevent statelessness at birth. The report also mentioned a legal framework approved in Portugal to regulate statelessness status, and North Macedonia allowing stateless people to acquire nationality. In Kenya, some 7,000 stateless people from the Pemba community were confirmed as citizens this year, the UNHCR said. Nearby in Tanzania, over 3,000 individuals at risk of statelessness were also granted nationality. "Though statelessness has many causes, in many instances it can be resolved through simple legislative and policy changes. I call upon states worldwide to take immediate action and ensure no one is left behind,” said Grandi. Grandi stressed that the positive steps taken during the past year were still not enough.

Recently  a group of Afghan migrants protested outside the office of the United Nations Human Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Islamabad. These protests coincided with the Pakistani government’s impending deadline to expel undocumented migrants from the country. The protesters, which include defence lawyers, journalists, human rights activists, and individuals vulnerable to the Taliban, argue that the UNHCR hasn’t properly examined their cases over the last two years. They assert that the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul does not extend visas for Afghan migrants, and the UNHCR is unwilling to provide migrants with official documentation to protect them from harassment by the Pakistani police. Protesters fear that expulsion from Pakistan would expose them to the Taliban’s human rights abuses. Afghan women’s defence lawyers criticized the UNHCR’s lack of response to the protests. At the same time, some asylum seekers alleged mistreatment by staff at the UNHCR’s partner agency, the Sharpe Office. Just under a month ago, the interim government of Pakistan gave more than 1.7 million undocumented migrants in the country until November 1st to leave. Pakistan warned that if migrants do not leave the country, they will be imprisoned and deported. Reports indicate that as November 1st approaches, fear and anxiety are spreading among the migrant population in Pakistan. However, the spokesperson for the UNHCR, Qaisar Afridi in Pakistan, urged registered refugees to turn to the organization’s defence lawyers if they faced police harassment. Mr.  Afridi recognized recent reports of Pakistani police harassment towards asylum seekers with UNHCR documents and registrations. He explained that UNHCR-appointed defence lawyers could potentially secure the release of detained asylum seekers. Source: The Khaama Press News Agency

Pakistan has resorted to a violent crackdown on the Afghan people living in the country despite appeals and warnings from various humanitarian organisations.  Islamabad government’s action is likely to endanger the lives of these refugees upon their arrival in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Many Pakistani citizens also joined the voices against the Islamabad government’s decision to forcefully deport Afghan nationals. Pakistani Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai said: “Afghan refugees —children, women, men, elderly — fleeing Taliban persecution deserve support, dignity, and safety, not further obstacles and harassment,” Yousafzai said. “I echo UN experts’ call and urge the Pakistani government to reconsider its rushed policy of mass deportation.” Pakistan’s government has however ignored the humanitarian calls and continued with the process of deportation of around 1.7 million Afghan nationals. It has set ‘November 1’ deadline to leave Pakistan. Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti had warned Afghan migrants of mass arrests, forced deportation, and confiscation of property. “If they do not go … then all the law enforcement agencies in the provinces or federal government will be utilized to deport them.” Afghan national Ashok Ullah said: “The police started harassing us recently and it was no longer possible to go to work without fear of being arrested. I do not want to go back but I am helpless.” Tens of thousands of Afghans can be seen on the border after Pakistani agencies reportedly began arrests, harassment and extortion. Pakistani agencies arrested 2,000 Afghan migrants soon after the announcement of the deportation deadline. Abdul Bashar is an Afghan migrant whose two cousins were arrested by Pakistani police agencies. “Police entered every house without warning. The fear has left us restless, making it difficult for us to sleep peacefully at night,” Bashar said. The Afghan Embassy in Pakistan expressed its displeasure over the “increased pressure and hasty expulsion” of Afghan migrants. Afghan Ambassador Sardar Ahmad Shakib said “…not only Afghan nationals without residency documents but also valid migration card holders have been detained, subjected to humiliation, harassment, & mistreatment before their release.” There are thousands of Afghan families that have been living in Pakistan for decades. The abrupt decision of deportation has come as a big shock to them. Amanullah Mughal, who lived in Karachi for four decades, said: “Our kids were born here and even don’t know where Afghanistan is. This is an uncertain situation and nobody knows what to do.” Many in Pakistan have appealed to the Islamabad government not to expel and deport Afghan refugees. Senior Pakistani diplomat Rustam Shah Mohmand slammed the government for forcibly repatriating migrants who had fled Afghanistan for fear of persecution or starvation. “In such a dire situation, to repatriate hundreds of thousands of poor refugees is an action bordering on hostility and enmity,” he said. The criticism, appeals, and requests did not have any effect on the Islamabad government. It even ignored the requests from global humanitarian agencies such as the United Nations and the Amnesty International. Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Afghan refugees will be subjected to grave punishment and harassment such as arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, cruel and other inhuman treatment. Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said we urge the Pakistan authorities to suspend forcible returns of Afghan nationals before it is too late to avoid a human rights catastrophe.” United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned the Islamabad government that forcibly deporting Afghans could lead to severe human rights violations. “Afghanistan is going through a severe humanitarian crisis with several human rights challenges, particularly for women and girls. Such plans would have serious implications for all who have been forced to leave the country and may face serious protection risks upon return,” it said. Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch sought global intervention to press Pakistan to end its “abuses”. “The situation in Afghanistan remains dangerous for many who fled, and deportation will expose them to significant security risks, including threats to their lives and well-being.” The increased militant attacks are being seen as a reason for the Pakistan government’s abrupt decision to deport, which however can create more chaos. Pakistani analyst Zahid Hussain cast doubts on the deportation campaign, which he said would rather strain relations between the two neighbours. “They may get some (migrants), but overall, it is difficult to differentiate. It will be difficult to track them down as Islamabad has adopted the policy of allowing them for the past 40 years, and suddenly this policy shift will not work.” Source: ASIAN LITE

The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) on Wednesday said that there were nearly 600,000 internally displaced people in Gaza. The UNRWA said that hundreds of thousands of displaced people were sheltering in 150 of the agency's facilities in the Palestinian territory. "Our shelters are four times over their capacities — many people are sleeping in the streets as current facilities are overwhelmed," the agency said in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. UNRWA said that at least 40 UNRWA installations had been impacted. The social media post carried a quote from the organization's Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini which said: "There is no safe place in Gaza today."

The state-run radio of Pakistan reported that 3,248 Afghan refugees have been returned to Afghanistan from this country. According to Pakistani authorities, since the deadline for the expulsion of undocumented migrants was set, more than 51,000 Afghans have been deported. Jan Achakzai, Balochistan Province’s Minister of Information, highlighted Pakistan’s intensified efforts to combat illegal immigration. He emphasized that these actions go beyond Afghan refugees, with measures like the November 1st expulsion deadline applying to all undocumented immigrants in the province, showcasing the government’s dedication to upholding order and security. Additionally, as reported by the Express Tribune, a specialised branch has been tasked with identifying and addressing illegal immigrant presence across Balochistan. Earlier, Shahbaz Bhatti, the Minister of Interior of the interim government of Pakistan, had warned that with the end of the deadline for the expulsion of undocumented Afghan migrants, the country would not compromise on this decision. Pakistani authorities report successfully repatriating over a thousand Afghan families to Afghanistan through the Chaman border crossing. Despite international appeals, including those from the United Nations and the current Taliban administration, urging Pakistani authorities to cease the expulsion of Afghan migrants, the Pakistani government remains steadfast in its warning to refugees. They have been given a deadline of November 1st to leave the country voluntarily, with the looming threat of forced expulsion if they fail to comply. Source: https://www.khaama.com/