WB ready to offer Bangladesh financial support for Rohingya crisis

The World Bank has said that it is ready to offer Bangladesh necessary financial support to deal with the influx of Rohingya refugees at the country's border with Myanmar. “The World Bank is ready to provide financial support to Bangladesh in dealing with the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis,” said Qimiao Fan, World Bank country director for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. “However, any request for financial aid from World Bank has to come through the Economic Relations Division under the Ministry of Finance,” he added. Qimiao Fan made the comments while speaking at a press briefing titled “Bangladesh Development Update: More, Better, and Inclusive Jobs Can Boost Growth” in Dhaka on Wednesday. “As Bangladesh is one of the largest recipients from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's arm working in the poorest countries, we want to make sure that Bangladesh makes the best use of these resources,” he said. Fan further mentioned that the IDA had established a $2 billion refugee fund to be used in the case of humanitarian emergencies. A country can avail a maximum of $400 million from the fund, depending on its needs, and Bangladesh was eligible. Qimiao Fan also said that World Bank was monitoring the situation in the Rakhine state of Myanmar closely and would continue to work with the UN and development agencies regarding the matter.