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.

Turkey has assured Bangladesh for the repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar. At the same time, the country has assured to work with Bangladesh on regional and global issues. Both countries expressed eagerness to increase bilateral trade by diversifying trade commodities. Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud held a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Antalya on Sunday (March 3).  Fidan vowed to work with Bangladesh on various international issues on behalf of his country. Hasan Mahmud proposed contract-based farming between the two countries. Where Bangladeshi farmers and experts will cultivate seasonal crops in Turkey and return to Bangladesh after harvesting.

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.

The UN Refugee Agency, welcomes the People’s Republic of China’s US$1.5 million contribution to improve hygiene services of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Over 60,000 Rohingya women and girls, between twelve and 50 years old, will benefit from the support through China’s assistance body, the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) until 2025.  “This generous support from China comes at a crucial time, as we are into the seventh year of the current Rohingya refugee crisis,” said Sumbul Rizvi, UNHCR Representative in Bangladesh. Refugee women and girls have been receiving two hygiene kits each year. The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) will partner with UNHCR to ensure over 250,000 kits under China’s grant support will reach Rohingya women. “China assumes its responsibility as a major country and provides assistance to help the displaced people improve living conditions. We look forward to undertaking more initiatives with UNHCR in future. The long-term solution to the crisis, however, lies in repatriation of the displaced people to Myanmar,” said Yao Wen, Ambassador of China to Bangladesh. UNHCR and the Chinese Government will collaborate to provide these kits. Chinese funding will ensure the provision of some items, including bathing and laundry soaps, as well as buckets. Over 200 women in Cox’s Bazar, from the refugee and Bangladeshi host communities, will work to produce the remaining items for the hygiene kits. It allows them to put their skills to use for their community, while also gaining an opportunity for limited self-reliance and livelihoods to support themselves. “Refugee women we talk to have highlighted the value of such kits, which they say are essential, and welcome the quality of the items produced by women within their own community,” said UNHCR’s Ms. Rizvi. UNHCR continues to work closely with women and the authorities in Bangladesh to improve living conditions. The offer of humanitarian assistance by countries, including China, is greatly needed to support the Government of Bangladesh in its humanitarian effort to respond to the Rohingya refugee situation. In 2023, humanitarian agencies have appealed for more than US$876 million to support almost 1.5 million people, including 960,000 Rohingya refugees and 495,000 Bangladeshis in neighbouring communities. By early December 2023, the Joint Response Plan was approximately 50 per cent funded.

In a historic move, on wednesday (15 November), the third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly adopted the annual resolution on the situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar by consensus. Jointly tabled by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the European Union (EU), the resolution was cosponsored by 114 countries, marking the highest level of international support since 2017. This year's resolution highlights several critical developments. It commends the generosity and humanitarian supports of the Government of Bangladesh in hosting more than 1.2 million Rohingya including its extensive investments in Bhashan Char project. Referring to the deteriorating political situation in Myanmar, it calls upon Myanmar to address the root causes of the Rohingya crisis and create conducive environment in Rakhine to facilitate voluntary, safe and dignified return of the Rohingyas to their homeland in Myanmar. It welcomes the recently adopted Security Council Resolution 2669 (2022), in which the Council demanded an immediate end to all forms of violence throughout Myanmar. It also calls for swift implementation of the ASEAN’s five-point consensus to expedite the repatriation of Rohingya from Bangladesh to Myanmar.  It notes the ongoing justice and accountability processes and welcomed the developments in the case against Myanmar in the International Court of Justice and the investigation by the Prosecution of the International Criminal Court. Above all, the member states have been urged to continue its humanitarian support to the Rohingya living in Bangladesh in the spirit of responsibility and burden sharing.  “Bangladesh is a small country with a high density of population and very limited resources. Protracted presence of the Rohingyas in our territory is not an option. They must have to return to their homeland, Myanmar.” said Representative of Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the UN in New York while addressing the meeting following the adoption of the resolution.  Underscoring the need for improving the situation in Rakhine State by the Government of Myanmar for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of Rohingyas to Myanmar, Bangladesh representative urged the international community including ASEAN to continue their support in this regard. Pending the Rohingya's return to Myanmar, she stressed, among other priorities, the need for adequate funding from international partners for those living in temporary camps in Bangladesh. Given the intensive political polarization amid various global conflicts, the adoption of this year's resolution, with an unprecedented level of co-sponsorship, sends a powerful signal of global solidarity and renewed commitment to addressing the Rohingya crisis. Bangladesh extends deep appreciation to OIC and EU for their leadership in keeping this important matter high on the UN agenda.  

Chinese President Xi Jinping assured that his country will always stay beside Bangladesh in its needs including providing support in joining the BRICS and ensuring permanent solution to the Rohingya issue. Reports BSS   "I will always support you (Sheikh Hasina) as you can join the BRICS," Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen quoted Xi as telling Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a bilateral talks on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS Summit. The Chinese president also said, "China will help Bangladesh bring a permanent solution to the Rohingya issue---we don't want instability in the region". After the meeting at the Hotel Hilton Sandton here last (Wednesday) evening, Momen said in a media briefing that Xi wants to resolve the Rohingya issue through tripartite engagement of China, Bangladesh and Myanmar. According to Momen, the Bangladesh premier said her government wants to repatriate Rohingyas to their homeland citing that the displaced Myanmar nationals are becoming threats for the regional peace as many of them are engaged in illegal drugs and arms trading.   "Peace is imperative for development," Sheikh Hasina said.   The Chinese president assured that they will always support Bangladesh in solving Rohingya issue, expressing his country's keenness to help Dhaka in the development of energy, renewable energy and infrastructure. Xi also gave assurance of cooperation in making Bangladesh a developed and prosperous Sonar Bangla. He continued: "China will help you to materialise your dream to build a developed and prosperous 'Sonar Bangla' at the quickest possible time."   Sheikh Hasina has sought Xi's help in quick implementation of some Chinese funded projects which are now being stuck for fund crisis while the Chinese president assured of looking into the matter. During the talks, the prime minister stressed the need for reducing the trade gap between Bangladesh and China citing that Bangladesh imports Chinese goods worth about 20 billion US dollars every year while China imports Bangladeshi goods worth only 700 million US dollars. The Chinese president then assured of taking initiative to reduce the imbalance in China-Bangladesh trade. He said his country has given duty and quota free access of 98 percent Bangladeshi products to the Chinese market.   "The trade gap between Bangladesh and China will be reduced if some Chinese investments come into Bangladesh," Sheikh Hasina said. She also stressed the need for signing the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between the two countries.   In reply, the Chinese president said, "We will take measures to quicken the signing of the Preferential Trade Agreement between the two countries." Momen also said Bangladesh in the bilateral meeting has expressed its eagerness to export fresh fruits such as mango, jackfruit, guava, fresh vegetables, cattle and poultry feeds to China.   The Chinese president assured Bangladesh of considering the issue prominently, the Bangladesh foreign minister said. The Bangladesh premier also invited the Chinese president to visit Bangladesh to witness the opening of the Padma Rail Bridge to be held in October next.   In reply, the Chinese president said, "I will definitely come to your country. But the time of visit will be fixed through talks between foreign ministers of both the countries".   Xi also invited the Bangladesh premier to visit China while Sheikh Hasina said she will visit China, but it may take time as she will be busy with the polls campaign as the national election is knocking at the door, Momen said.   The Bangladesh premier as well urged the Chinese president to widen the scope for Bangladeshi students to study in China while Xi assured of looking into the matter.   Sheikh Hasina arrived in Johannesburg on August 22 to attend the BRICS summit being held on August 22-24.   She will deliver a speech today on behalf of Bangladesh as a member of the "New Development Bank of BRICS" at Friends of BRICS Leaders Dialogue (BRICS-Africa Outreach and the BRICS Plus Dialogues) comprising representatives from 70 countries. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen, Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman, PM's daughter and Thematic Ambassador of Climate Vulnerable Forum and Chairperson of the National Advisory Committee for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Saima Wazed, PM's Principal Secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah and Senior Secretary of Foreign Affairs Masud Bin Momen, were present at the meeting.

Mr. IWAMA Kiminori, Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh, had his second official visit to the camp in Cox's Bazar, where over 960,000 Rohingya Refugees reside. Ambassador IWAMA visited the Composite Bamboo Shelters of UNHCR, the Water Treatment Plant, the Plastic Recycle Plant and the Bamboo Treatment Facility of IOM, an Aggregation Centre of WFP-FAO, a Fecal Sludge Management System of UNICEF-DSK, the Multipurpose Women Centre of UN Women, an E-voucher Outlet and an Integrated Nutrition Centre of WFP, the Primary Health Care of UNFPA, and the Hospital on the Hill of Médecins sans frontiers. He also discussed with refugee volunteers and exchanged views with Mr. Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner. Since the large influx in August 2017, Japan has contributed over 210 million USD to various interventions in Cox's Bazar as well as in Bhasan Char through international organizations and NGOs. These assistances included food assistance, healthcare, WASH, shelter, protection, and gender mainstreaming. Witnessing the ongoing activities in the field, Ambassador IWAMA said, "This is my second visit to the Rohingya camp, and I saw and understood the situation in the camps such as malnutrition, which also affects the health of the refugees. I appreciate the efforts of the Bangladesh government, UN agencies, and NGOs to protect the refugees. Japan will continue to support resolving this issue including funding assistance and cooperation with the government and these agencies”. As the crisis is turning into its sixth year, it is essential to keep the attention of the global community, while multiple emergencies have been taking place in different parts of the world. Japan will continue to work toward the resolution of the Rohingya issue.

Since 2017, the United States has provided over $2 billion of assistance in response to the Rohingya crisis, with nearly $100 million in food aid in 2023. Despite this latest contribution, a funding gap of nearly $100 million remains to meet the food and nutritional needs of the refugee population. The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing an additional $23.8 million in humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh to deliver urgent food and nutrition assistance to Rohingya refugees. With this new funding, USAID will work with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to provide critically needed food and nutrition, including electronic vouchers to purchase staple and fresh foods, feeding 925,000 refugees, with a focus on children and pregnant and lactating women in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char.   The assistance comes at a critical time amidst a funding shortfall of nearly $100 million, which has led to a reduction of food rations in the Rohingya camps. “The United States remains committed to delivering assistance to refugees and impacted communities in Bangladesh, but much more is needed. We urge other donors to join us in providing additional assistance to meet the needs of the Rohingya refugees.   We also urge the Government of Bangladesh to allow the Rohingya population to engage in more sustainable livelihood-building activities, enabling them to reduce their dependence on humanitarian aid,” said U.S. Ambassador Peter Haas. Bangladesh currently hosts nearly one million refugees, most of whom are ethnic Rohingya from Burma. The majority of these refugees are living in the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, as well as Bhasan Char, a silt island in the Bay of Bengal, and rely on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs. The United States is the leading contributor of humanitarian assistance in response to the Rohingya crisis.   Since August 2017, the U.S. has provided over $2 billion in response to this regional crisis, including more than $1.6 billion to assist Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh.

Foreign Minister Dr A K Abdul Momen said Rohingya issue is risking regional peace and security and urged all the countries to actively engage with Myanmar for an early and sustainable repatriation of the Rohinagys to their homeland, Myanmar. He was addressing the 8th ministerial conference of the Bali Process on People Smuggling, trafficking in persons and related transnational crime in Adelaide, Australia. At the conference co-chaired by Australia and Indonesia, Momen underscored that war and violence, protracted conflicts, growing inequality among people, absence of regular migration process and large-scale climate induced displacements and consequent humanitarian crises pose greater challenges to the global policymakers of the world as these contribute to the increasing trends of irregular movement of people around the globe.  He said Bali Process must not be a painkiller to temporary relief; it should focus more to address the root causes of irregular migration. He stressed the need to address the root causes for preventing irregular movement of people.  Momen held bilateral meetings with his Australian counterpart Senator Penny Wong and the Home Affairs Minister of Australia Claire O'Neil at the sideline of the ministerial.  He sought Australian support to keep up the international pressure on Myanmar for repatriation of Rohingyas. He expressed that Australia should consider intake of Rohingyas under its refugee visa besides providing humanitarian assistance. Momen also met with his Indonesian counterpart at the margin of the Conference and sought support of Indonesia to engage ASEAN on the Rohingya issue and step up pressure on Myanmar for Rohingya repatriation. On Thursday, the minister met with the Bangladesh community in Adelaide and exchanged views with them.