Japan, UNHCR sign $1.6mn deal to boost Rohingya support in Bangladesh

The government of Japan and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, have recently signed a partnership agreement to improve living conditions, strengthen primary healthcare and empower Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

The contribution of $1.6 million [JPY 250 million] will support the construction of safer shelters in the Cox's Bazar camps, the provision of essential medicines and medical supplies, and the engagement of refugees as community health workers.

It will also support the self-reliance of refugees in Cox's Bazar and on Bhasan Char through opportunities for self-reliance.

"This agreement and contribution from Japan to UNHCR comes at a critical time, when fundraising for the Rohingya refugee response is essential. This project will help empowering and improving refugees' well-being on Bhasan Char and in Cox's Bazar, while alleviating the pressure on the Bangladeshi host community," said Saida Shinichi, Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh.

"Japan will continue to work towards sustainable solutions for this humanitarian crisis and will keep cooperating with international organizations such as UNHCR," he added.

"UNHCR is most grateful to the Government and people of Japan for their consistent solidarity and active support to UNHCR and for our work for the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh," said Sumbul Rizvi, UNHCR Representative in Bangladesh.

"The Rohingya community is resilient and hardworking, and capable of managing their lives in asylum graciously granted by Bangladesh. All they need are opportunities," she added.

As per the agreement, UNHCR will be able to build, maintain and repair safer shelters that can better withstand extreme weather. In Cox's Bazar camps and on Bhasan Char, access to primary healthcare will be strengthened, focusing on both communicable and non communicable diseases, as well as mental health and psychosocial support.

Skills development and self-reliance will be enhanced to provide refugees, particularly women, with the capacity to support their communities and to help them prepare for a safe and sustainable return to Myanmar, once conditions are conducive.

Eight years into the crisis, the support from Japan is most timely as UNHCR and its partners, along with the government of Bangladesh, prepare to launch the 2025 Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis, to support Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi people in neighbouring communities, said the UNHCR.

Since the beginning of the emergency in August 2017, Japan has remained a steadfast supporter of the Rohingya refugee response in Bangladesh, contributing over $243 million to UNHCR and other UN agencies and NGOs in Bangladesh.