COX'S BAZAR, Mar 18 (UNB): IOM, the UN Migration Agency, is appealing for USD 182.1 million to assist 0.9m (900,000) Rohingya refugees and host community members in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.
IOM's appeal is part of a broader USD 951 million UN Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis covering the same March - December 2018 period.
On August 25, 2017, a mass exodus of Rohingya refugees began from northern Rakhine State, Myanmar, to Cox's Bazar.
Fleeing an upsurge of targeted violence, nearly one million Rohingya refugees are now sheltering in Cox's Bazar, including thousands who arrived during previous influxes.
The local rural community, which has long been in need of support, has found itself in the middle of the fastest-growing refugee crisis in the world.
IOM on Sunday said it is providing livelihood, environmental improvement and health support to both refugees and locals to mitigate the impact of soaring food prices and overloaded infrastructure.
"As the monsoon season approaches, we are at a vital point where we have to increase our support for people affected by the crisis - both Rohingya refugees and local Bangladeshis," said IOM Director General William Lacy Swing, reflecting on monsoon preparedness efforts now underway in Cox's Bazar.
IOM has relocated 236 families living in areas at risk of landslide and floods to safer areas. A further 9,675 families have been trained by IOM in how to strengthen their shelters against wind and rain, and reduce the dangers associated with living on unstable, muddy hillsides.
IOM is also working to reduce the environmental impact of the refugees by providing alternative sources of fuel.
