The World Bank (WB) has approved two projects totaling US$700 million to provide basic services and build disaster and social resilience for both the host communities and displaced Rohingya population in Bangladesh.
The approval was given at the meeting of the global lender's Board of Executive Directors in Washington, USA on May 28, 2024, according to a WB press release.
Of the projects, the $350 million Inclusive Services and Opportunities for Host Community and Displaced Rohingya Population Project and the $350 million Host and Rohingya Enhancement of Lives Project will together provide support to the Bangladeshi host communities and the Rohingya people as this crisis enters its seventh year.
The interventions supporting the Rohingya population will be financed by the WB as grants under the IDA20 Window for Host Communities and Refugees.
"We greatly appreciate the government of Bangladesh's generosity in supporting nearly one million Rohingya people. We also recognize the enormous pressure placed on the host communities," said World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, Abdoulaye Seck.
With the crisis entering its seventh year, long-term planning and sustainable solutions have become critical, while also addressing short-term, urgent needs, the WB country head added.
"We are fully committed to supporting the Government of Bangladesh to address this complex crisis and support the well-being of both the Rohingya and host communities," the WB country head said.
The Inclusive Services and Opportunities for Host Communities and Displaced Rohingya Population (ISO) Project will build on active investments in livelihoods and essential health, nutrition, family planning, gender-based violence response, and prevention services for at least 980,000 people in the Rohingya and host communities, according to the press release.
The project will prioritize investment in human capital development, aiming to support the education of 300,000 Rohingya children under the age of 12.
"The protracted displacement crisis that the Government of Bangladesh is addressing is ultimately a challenge about supporting people, whether they are in the host community or in the displaced Rohingya population," said World Bank Task Team Leader for the ISO Project, S. Amer Ahmed.
"The ISO Project will be supporting vulnerable households in both communities to invest, protect, and use their human capital through support for temporary work, training, education, child protection, primary healthcare, nutrition, family planning, and gender-based violence response and prevention services," S. Amer Ahmed added.
Under the financing, the Host and Rohingya Enhancement of Lives Project (HELP) will improve access to basic services and enhance the resilience of at least 645,000 people in the Rohingya and host communities.
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