President of the World Bank (WB) Group Jim Yong Kim has said Bangladesh needs more support from the world to help nearly 1.0 million Rohingya refugees driven by violence from Myanmar.
Mr. Kim made the statement on Tuesday after concluding his two-day visit to the country, said a WB press release.
President Kim, along with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, visited the Kutupalong camp in Cox's Bazar, the largest and most densely-populated refugee settlement in the world, according to the release.
"Today I saw firsthand the sheer scale of the crisis. I spoke with women and men who have faced extreme hardship, and yet they stand resolute --waiting for a chance to return to their village," it said quoting the WB president.
"The Government of Bangladesh has done the world a great service by keeping its borders open and supporting the refugees", Mr. Kim said.
He also said much more needs to be done and, with approaching monsoon rain, risks of natural disasters and disease outbreaks are increasing. The international community need to step up support.
Mr. Kim and Mr. Guterres interacted with Rohingya women and men and visited the transit camp, health centres and women-friendly spaces.
In Cox's Bazar, the Rohingya number more than twice the local population, which is putting pressure on infrastructure and services, said the WB release.
During his visit, the WB president met with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, the Finance Minister, the Foreign Minister and other senior government officials.
While commending Bangladesh for its generosity in providing a refuge for the Rohingya people, the WB president emphasised the World Bank's commitment to help the host community and the refugees.
"The World Bank will help Bangladesh sustain its impressive development progress while managing the dire situation created by this large influx. We have mobilised $480 million grant-based support, which will help build the country's capacity to deal with the crisis," he said.
Mr. Kim also said Bangladesh has an inspiring development story: it has emerged as a global leader in reducing poverty and creating opportunities for all.
"The World Bank considers Bangladesh an important partner in reducing global poverty. We are firm on our commitment to enhance support to help Bangladesh achieve its vision of an upper-middle income status," Mr. Kim said.
World Bank support to Bangladesh has expanded: in the last five years, the financing more than doubled. This year the funding commitments reached a record high of $3.0 billion, according to the WB press statement.
Since then, the World Bank has committed more than $29 billion in grant and interest-free credit to the country, it added.
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