WB offers support for Rohingya people, host communities

FE Report

The World Bank (WB) stressed the need for urgent support to the Rohingya refugees sheltered in Bangladesh as the crisis was growing at a rapid pace surrounding the persecuted Myanmarese nationals in the country.

"… there is an urgent need to support the host communities to cope with the influx and to help the refugees who are extremely vulnerable," it said in a statement on Saturday.

After visiting the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar, the bank's vice president for South Asia Region Annette Dixon praised Bangladesh for sheltering and caring for the large influx of Rohingya fleeing violence in Myanmar, according to the statement.

She said the WB is ready to work with the government to help the host community and the displaced Rohingya people.

"The scale of the influx is enormous. As far as the eyes can see, lines after lines of shelters -- made of plastic sheets and bamboos -- stretched over the deforested hills. It is creating huge pressure on the infrastructure and services as well as on the water resources and the environment. When the monsoon approaches, the challenges with disease and natural disasters will increase," she said.

She visited the registered and makeshift camps and spoke with the Rohingya and the local community.

She also visited registration centers, health and food distribution centers, children centres and women-friendly

spaces. While these efforts are helping the Rohingyas cope, they will need more support to rebuild their lives, the statement said.

"The people and the government of Bangladesh have shown great generosity to the Rohingya people in their hour of need. As soon as the crisis broke, with the government, the local and international Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and development partners extended support. This helped save thousands of lives," Dixon said.

"But the needs are much greater. If the government seeks assistance, we can mobilise more resources to address the needs of both the host communities and the Rohingya people in a way that will continue to benefit the local people after the Rohingya leave."

Dixon met local government officials and representatives of the many Bangladeshi and international relief agencies and NGOs that are working to support the Rohingya population in the Cox's Bazar area.

Earlier in the week, Dixon spoke at the invitation of the government at the Bangladesh Development Forum in Dhaka. She praised Bangladesh's remarkable success in reducing poverty and advancing development.

As she concluded a five-day visit to Bangladesh Saturday, she said: "Bangladesh is an inspiration for development -- it halved the number of people living in extreme poverty and created more opportunities for all. The country is at the cusp of another transformation: that of an upper middle-income country. The World Bank is committed to help Bangladesh address areas critical for achieving its vision of upper-middle income status."

Meanwhile, in October last year, Bangladesh sought support from the World Bank to meet the needs of Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar. In a press statement on October 11, 2017, the WB said the government of Bangladesh could tap into its new and innovative financing instrument, the special window for refugees of the International Development Association (IDA), the bank's fund for the poorest.

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