UN allocates $5.0m to assist female headed households hit by floods

Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) of the United nations (UN) has allocated US$ 5.0 million to complement the government's response to the people in need following the severe flooding caused by monsoon rains in July, reports UNB.

The CERF allocation will provide assistance to 43,000 female-headed households in Jamalpur district in Mymensingh division and in Gaibandha and Kurigram districts in Rangpur division, according UN Information Centre in Dhaka.

Following a joint needs assessment undertaken in partnership with the government of Bangladesh, international and national NGOs, IFRC and UN Agencies, the humanitarian community developed a response and recovery plan to supplement the ongoing national response.

The plan seeks $ 27 million to assist 736,000 people in Bandarban, Bogura, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Kurigram, Sirajganj, Sunamganj, Sylhet and Tangail.

United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Mia Seppo said as is often the case during natural disasters women and girls are the hardest hit.

Therefore, she said, the CERF-funded projects have a strong focus on women and girls and they are expected to strengthen their resilience through the rebuilding of livelihoods destroyed by the floods, she said.

The CERF funding is provided to six UN agencies: FAO, UNDP, UNFPA, Unicef, UN Women and WFP under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator.