The world needs to provide sustained support to Bangladesh in order to meet the needs of the Rohingya population as well as the host community in Cox's Bazar, said Vice-President of World Bank for South Asia Region Hartwig Schafer.
He said this after the conclusion of a week-long visit to the country when he visited the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar district.
After inspecting the camps, Schafer praised the government and the people of Bangladesh for welcoming thousands of Rohingya refugees after they fled violence in Myanmar.
At the same time, Schafer asked the global community to focus their attention on the crisis and provide more support to the Bangladesh government.
Schafer said, although Bangladesh has been able to coordinate humanitarian support, to prevent major disease outbreaks and to provide for the basic needs of nearly one million Rohingya refugees sheltering in the country, the need is much larger.
"The World Bank has mobilized close to half a billion US dollar financing on grant terms to help Bangladesh deal with the crisis," he said. "The global community cannot afford to become distracted from this crisis and needs to provide more support.”
The World Bank approved the first two operations of a series that totalled $75 million in grants, including $13 million in grants from Canada.
These include a $50 million grant to help the Rohingya with much-needed health services, especially health services for women and children, , and a $25 million grant to help Rohingya children access learning opportunities until their safe return to Myanmar. The World Bank is also helping the local population through existing projects.
Schafer met Rohingya women, men, and children and visited centres for transit, health, and learning in the Kutupalong and Nayapara camps. He also met local administration, NGOs, and development partners.
