International community has pledged to support Bangladesh with more humanitarian assistance at the joint response plan for the Rohingya refugees.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, who represented Bangladesh on Friday's meeting in Geneva, told bdnews24.com that everyone in the conference pledged to contribute further as this joint response plan indicates Rohingyas require $951 million in aid.
Canada, Sweden, Thailand, US, Australia, EU, Japan, Netherlands, Switzerland, Korea, Denmark, UK, Norway, Turkey, Brazil, OIC, WFP, Unicef, OHCHR, World Bank, WHO, UNFPA, FAO and IOM had representatives at the meeting.
The Joint Response Plan is the UN's effort to engage the international community to meet the humanitarian needs for the over one million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals in Bangladesh for the period of March-December 2018.
The UNHCR, IOM and OCHA organised the event, which was attended by a large number of UN member countries as well as by international organisations, the foreign ministry said.
"In addition to providing humanitarian assistance to the displaced people of Myanmar, Bangladesh, as a responsible and responsive nation, has also remained engaged with Myanmar in good faith to ensure their safe and sustainable return," the state minister was quoted as saying in a statement.
IOM's Director General Ambassador William Lacy Swing, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Mia Seppo and Secretary-General of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society Feroz Salah Uddin also addressed the occasion. Ambassador M Shameem Ahsan, Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva, was also present.
