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Rohingya's needs

WB 'intended' to help BD

FE REPORT | August 04, 2021 00:00:00


The World Bank said it was helping Bangladesh address the needs of the displaced Rohingya population until their safe and voluntary return to Myanmar.

"The Bank is also supporting Bangladesh to minimise the impact of the influx on the host communities," it said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Washington-based lender also hinted that it never made any specific recommendation for the Rohingya community in Bangladesh as the review does not make any country-specific recommendations.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh's foreign ministry rejected outright international agencies' proposal to integrate the Rohingya with the host society in line with the WB recommendations.

The debate emerged as the UNHCR recently proposed that Bangladesh integrate the Rohingya with the local society based on the WB recommendations as it wants to shift the refugees to Bhasanchar Island.

According to the statement, the WB's Refugee Policy Review was aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of its funding for both refugee and host communities.

This review has been done in each of the 14 member countries of the Bank that were currently hosting the displaced population, it cited.

The WB said the review was done by the UNHCR following the Refugee Policy Review Framework.

The UNHCR collected baseline information on existing policies, practices and programmes, it added.

The WB has committed $590 million for Bangladesh to address health, informal education, safety net, water and sanitation, basic infrastructure like climate-resilient roads and solar street lights, and disaster preparedness needs of both the Rohingya and host communities in Cox's Bazar.

"The entire $590-million financing is on grant terms. This is not a credit," the WB said.

Their research and analysis were also providing insights for understanding the challenges and development priorities in Cox's Bazar, it added.

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