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UNHCR underlines strong global support for Rohingyas

May 17, 2021 00:00:00


UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has called for renewed international commitment, support and solidarity for the Rohingyas ahead of next Tuesday's donor conference and launch of the 2021 Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis, reports UNB.

The 2021 JRP brings together the efforts of the government of Bangladesh, and 134 UN agencies and NGO partners to target almost 1.4 million people this year, said UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic in Geneva on Friday.

Jointly co-hosted by the government of Bangladesh, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNHCR, the virtual 2021 JRP launch event will highlight the most immediate needs and the ongoing humanitarian response.

Scheduled to run from 10 am to 12 pm CEST Geneva (2-4 pm in Dhaka) on May 18, the event will be live streamed.

Last year, the United Nations appealed for more than US$1 billion to meet the needs of the Rohingya refugees and host communities in Cox's Bazar district. At the end of 2020, this appeal was just 59.4% funded.

"We stress that the international community must not only maintain support for refugees and their hosts, but also adapt to new and emerging needs and pursue the search for durable solutions," said the spokesperson.

More than 880,000 Rohingya refugees and 472,000 Bangladeshis in the surrounding host communities in Cox's Bazar district are brought under the plan.

Most Rohingya refugees, some 740,000, fled violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State in 2017.

With the refugee crisis in its fourth year, Bangladesh needs robust and sustained international support to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the stateless Rohingya refugees, said Mahecic.


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