UNHCR deputy high commissioner visits Bangladesh, calls for urgent support for Rohingya refugees

Wrapping up a four-day visit to Bangladesh on Monday, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees Kelly T Clements recognised the country for hosting one million Rohingya refugees for nearly six years, calling for livelihoods and self-reliance initiatives to be scaled up to prevent the humanitarian situation in the refugee camps from deteriorating further.

In addition to support to host communities, the deputy high commissioner said it was time for serious efforts towards building resilience and improving the lives of the Rohingya so they can take back the skills, training and education they received in Bangladesh when they are able to return home, reads a press release.

"We continue to advocate for creating conducive conditions in Myanmar so that refugees can go back safely and in dignity, and voluntary returns can be sustainable. Refugees who wish to return should have access to clear and factual information to be able to make free and informed decisions," Clements said after visiting the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar. 

"Under no condition should refugees be forced or coerced to return, which the Government assured us would not happen," she added.

Clements also emphasised that the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, must be able to assess the voluntariness of refugees' choices and that they are free from any pressure or incentive, and based on accurate information on the situation in Myanmar.

Clements met with Rohingya refugees, the country's leadership, donors and humanitarian actors. 

Rohingya refugees living in the camps are completely reliant on humanitarian aid for their basic needs. However, the minimum funding for this assistance is no longer available. 

On 1 June, the UN World Food Programme was forced to cut food aid for the second time in three months due to a lack of funding. Humanitarian agencies are now being forced to identify only the most critical interventions which means basic needs remain unmet, with dire consequences.

UNHCR is concerned the ration cuts, which follow a major fire earlier this year and Cyclone Mocha a few weeks ago, will result in higher malnutrition rates, school dropouts, increased incidence of child marriage, child labour and gender-based violence. Refugees are at risk of resorting to desperate measures in the absence of adequate support.

"If the Rohingya are given the opportunity to gain some income, they can purchase most of their food themselves. They want to make their own choices. By accessing mobile financial services they will be able to procure what they require to meet their daily needs," said Clements.

In her meetings with government partners, Clements also advocated for policies to allow more durable materials be used for shelters, which are fire and weather resistant. She stressed that it is important to build back safer and better as the cost of maintaining and rehabilitating shelters and facilities is now unsustainable every time a severe storm or other natural disaster hits the camps. 

Humanitarian agencies have appealed for more than $876 million this year to support approximately 1.47 million people, including 920,000 Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char, and 495,000 Bangladeshis in neighbouring communities. 

As of June 2023, the Joint Response Plan is only 24% funded. Predictable and sustained funding is needed to avert a wider humanitarian disaster.