Take care of Rohingyas like Bangladesh: UNHCR to regional countries

GBNews24 Desk//

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi has appealed to the regional countries including India to take care of the refugees they already host and relieve Bangladesh from any additional burden.

“They should try to take care of these people like Bangladesh does……,” he told reporters at a media briefing while wrapping up his fifth visit to Bangladesh on Wednesday, reports UNB.

Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and India also host the Rohingyas but nothing compares to the number here in Bangladesh which hosts the largest number of Rohingyas.

Grandi also appealed to the Asean countries to help find resolve the Rohingya crisis using their leverage.

Responding to a question, he said it would be “more difficult than before” in terms of fund flow due to crises in other parts of the world including the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

He appealed for sustained and predictable support for Rohingya refugees and their local host communities in Bangladesh, while emphasizing the need to maintain refugees’ hopes for voluntary return to Myanmar once the situation allows.

Grandi, during his five-day trip to Bangladesh, he met Rohingya refugees, the country’s top leadership, UNHCR donors and humanitarian actors.

“The world must remember the crisis that Rohingya refugees and their hosts have been facing for the last five years. The refugees’ lives depend on how the international community responds in caring for them,” he said.

Bangladesh hosts over million Rohingya refugees, most of whom fled for their lives from Myanmar in 2017 while others arrived many years earlier.

Grandi expressed gratitude to Bangladesh and underlined the important strides in the refugee response under the leadership of the government, including COVID-19 vaccinations for more than 88 per cent of the refugee population over 18 years of age.

Some 52 per cent of the refugee population are under the age of 18.

“Skills development and livelihood activities in Cox’s Bazar and on Bhasan Char are extremely important in allowing refugees to build peaceful communities, contribute to a safe environment and support their sustainable return,” Grandi added.

Some 28,000 Rohingya refugees have been relocated to Bhasan Char by the government of Bangladesh, and the High Commissioner observed that essential humanitarian services have been scaled up.

He called for continued strong government leadership on the island, enhanced education services, skills development and livelihood initiatives.

Humanitarian agencies need more than US$881 million this year to support approximately 1.4 million people, including 920,000 Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char, and around 540,000 Bangladeshis in neighbouring communities.

As of May 2022, the Joint Response Plan is only 13 per cent funded.