FE Report
Lack of coordination among the agencies concerned and poor capacity of some local NGOs remain key barriers to providing required services to forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals (FDMNs), speakers said at a dialogue on Saturday.
They also called for making integrated efforts among the agencies to ensure quality services for the Rohingya refugees.
Keeping this in mind, evaluating the overall situation at Rohingya camps as per as services are concerned, they said despite having better understanding capacity of the local people, local NGOs are not getting enough support in terms of capacity building and finance from international agencies.
At the same time, they urged the government agencies to play a leading role in ensuring transparency and accountability of all the bodies working at Rohingya camps.
The observations and suggestions were made at the dialogue titled "Integration of Grand Bargain Commitments in FDMN Relief and Facilitating Localisation: Pathways to reducing transaction costs, ensuring accountability and partnering with local organisations" organised by CCNF, COAST, GMI and Navigation 360 at the CIRDAP auditorium in the city.
In association with Christian Aid, ICVA, Oxfam and IoM, the four NGOs jointly organised the programme.
Speaking on the occasion, the participants laid emphasis on building better integration and coordination among the government of Bangladesh, UN agencies, international and local NGOs in terms of providing services to FDMNs.
They also urged UN agencies and international NGOs to follow what they made commitment in Grand Bargain (GB) held in Istanbul 2016 and Charter 4 Change in respect of Rohingya relief, and to go for gradual reduction in transaction cost, ensuring transparency and accountability towards the local authorities and to be partnering with local NGOs.
Abu Morshed Chowdhury, co-chair of CCNF and executive director of PHALS, and Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, another co-chair of CCNF and executive director of COAST, moderated the dialogue chaired by Dr Helal Uddin, Director of NGO Affairs Bureau.
Abdus Sattar, Deputy Chief of IoM (International Office of Migration), and Vincent Gule of UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) attended the programme as guests of honour.
Shaheen Anam of Manusher Jonno Foundation, Nayeem Wahara of Disaster Forum, MB Akhter of Oxfam, AKM Musha of Concern World Wide, Shakeeb Nabi of Christian Aid, Henry Glorieux and Lane Krainyk of UN RC Office, Arash of Canadian Embassy, Ms Suranga of ECHO, Jeroen Steeghs of Netherlands Embassy and Omar Faruque of DFID were present as panel speakers.
Kooenrad Van Brabant of GMI/Navigation 360 and Mujibul Haque Munir of COAST presented evaluation reports.
Mr MB Akhter said local NGOs have to come up with capacity and commitment and they are in the process of capacity development.
Ms Shaheen Anam said, "We still need international expertise in some areas, but I have to mention that a lot of capacities have already been built. We have to offer you this, so let's think how to collaborate it."
The Rohingya crisis has now become the biggest problem than others like poverty, inequality, she further said.
"The local organisations are losing their capacity and later international NGOs won't give them fund for not having the capacity. How would they recover their capacity that they have lost due to direct intervention of foreign NGOs?," she questioned. Suranga Mallawa, Surge Response Expert of the EU, stressed the need for building their capacity on the refugee response.
She added: "Ultimately our dialogue needs to reach the host community and FDMNs."
Mr Sattar said now ISCG (Inter-Sectorial Coordination Group) and SEG (Strategic Executive Group) are taking shape in a complex situation so that there will be more responsiveness, efficiency and effectiveness.
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