WFP warns of looming Rohingya food crisis, urges global action
The WFP called on all partners to urgently mobilise additional resources to prevent a worsening of the humanitarian situation in the Rohingya camps
World Food Programme Deputy Executive Director (DED) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Carl Skau has said they need to address the urgent situation facing the Rohingyas, but the WFP's funding will soon run out by the end of November.
"They (the Rohingyas) have nowhere else to turn. They cannot work, they cannot integrate and they certainly cannot return to Rakhine given the security situation there now – they are 100% dependent on the assistance we provide," he told UNB in an interview during his recent visit to Bangladesh.
"And we know from experience that when we withdraw or shrink our assistance, people are forced to turn to negative coping mechanisms," Skau warned.
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Money running out
He expressed their admiration for the generosity and the support the Bangladeshi people have shown, as well as the communities in Cox's Bazar who are contributing to this response.
"We always invest in the host communities. The food we provide for the Rohingyas is procured in Bangladesh, including Cox's Bazar, making sure there is a return for the Bangladeshi economy as part of our response," Skau said.
"But our money is running out. We don't have the budget to continue our operation beyond the end of November," he added.
That is one of the reasons he visited Bangladesh to meet with the government, partners, donors and also with their teams on the ground, who he describes as "the lifeline."
"We are providing food for the entire population of the camp – on a monthly basis. And obviously, if we stop that, it would not only have a very negative impact on the humanitarian situation – people will be hungry and they would suffer – but also all kinds of other negative implications, including people having to leave the camps to try to find resources elsewhere," Skau said.
Diversifying funding base
When asked what the WFP plans to do to mitigate the dire situation, he said they are looking at many different ways to address the funding crisis for the Rohingyas, and one of the ways is to try to diversify the funding base.
The United States has been very generous so far, covering almost 60% of the overall envelope, he said, adding that they need others to step forward.
"We're engaging many countries in the region, including the Asean countries, also in the Gulf – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Emirates – and members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and others," Skau said.
"The Rohingyas are not responsible for this situation, and they should count on the support of the international community," he added.
The WFP said that to avoid disruptions to its food and nutrition assistance for the Rohingyas, it urgently requires $60 million over the next six months, while its total requirement stands at $167 million over the next 12 months.
The agency called on all partners to urgently mobilise additional resources to prevent a worsening of the humanitarian situation in the camps.
"We are determined to do what we can to add efficiency, effectiveness, and to do more to promote self-reliance and support the host communities," said Skau.
Skau noted that the WFP's operation is very efficient - 82¢ of every dollar now going directly to supporting the Rohingyas. Through various cost-saving measures, $19 million in savings is projected by its office in Dhaka.
50 years of journey
"While the Rohingya response is the one that often catches the headlines, there is a much broader partnership and portfolio here," he told UNB, noting that they are very proud to have been part of the development trajectory of Bangladesh through the 50 years of growing partnership.
The WFP first established its country office in Bangladesh in 1974, and today it is one of the organisation's largest operations globally, with an annual budget requirement of over $300 million.
This covers emergency responses – including support for Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi communities affected by floods or cyclones – as well as development support.
Skau, who has over 20 years of experience working in diplomacy, humanitarian affairs, peace-building and development across different regions and organisations, said the WFP is committed to staying and continuing to work - whether that is on the school meals or adapting to a different climate so that people are prepared to manage those new extreme weather events.
He also noted their support for Bangladesh's national social protection system and support for strengthening the national food systems.
Asked why it is important to invest in school feeding, he said this is probably one of the concepts that they are the most excited about.
"To be very honest with you, I often speak to journalists about Gaza, Sudan and what have you, and then they ask me, is there no hope out there? And the one example I always point to them is the school meals concept we have been working on here in Bangladesh for decades," said Skau, a Swedish national who headed the Department for Multilateral Partnerships at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
He said the government now is committed to rolling that out further with national resources from the national budget and this is something they look forward to contributing to both in terms of technical assistance, drawing on their know-how and experience and lessons learned from throughout the world, but also helping the government attract development resources for this programme.
Explaining why they are so excited about this, Skau said the evidence shows that it has a multitude of positive development impacts.
"Better health and nutrition are just the start of this. School meals attract and incentivise children to come to school and parents to send their children to school. The rate of attendance increases dramatically when we introduce school meals," he said.
Skau said it improves the educational outcomes because children have the energy to listen and learn. "And it also promotes the local economy because the concept we always propose is one where we buy food in the local community, while women from the local community are hired for the kitchen."
"And we are seeing in countries like India, South Africa, Brazil and Nigeria - we see the same effort and a massive impact," Skau said.
Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, during his meeting with Skau, urged the WFP to place greater emphasis on its school feeding programmes in Bangladesh, recognising the importance of such initiatives to address the malnutrition problems in the best interest of children.
New York conference
Skau said they look forward to participating and supporting the high-level conference on the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar to be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on 30 September.
"I think the positive and supportive messages that came from the government will be important in setting the stage for that very important meeting in New York," he said.
He said there is a lot of competition right now - both for attention and for resources - Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan - just to name a few, and the bandwidth in capitals of partner countries is limited.
"So, we need to work together with the government to knock [on] doors and make sure that Bangladesh and the Rohingya situation remain high on the agenda and hence also attract the resources that are necessary," Skau added, noting that they will do their part to support.
"But I also want to manage expectations - because it is a difficult environment and overall WFP funding globally has shrunk by 40%... across the countries, we are doing dramatic cuts to our programmes," Skau said.
