A team of experts from the UN inspects the facilities for Rohingya refugees at Bhashan Char on Monday; November 1, 2021 Courtesy UNHCR Bangladesh
Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan
Publish : 01 Nov 2021, 06:26 PMUpdate : 01 Nov 2021, 10:20 PM
A large team of the United Nations is visiting Bhashan Char ahead of the global body's operational engagement with the project intended to relocate 100,000 Rohingyas from Cox's Bazar.
The team comprises 21 members from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and UN World Food Program (WFP).
"Yes, the UN team has arrived," Commander Anwarul Kabir, deputy director of the Bhashan Char project, told Dhaka Tribune on Monday afternoon from the island in the Bay of Bengal that was developed by the Bangladesh Navy at a cost of about Tk3,100 crore.
Around 18,000 Rohingyas have already been relocated and the government is planning to complete the relocation by shipping another 82,000 forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals by January.
The UN team was brought to Bhashan Char from Chittagong by a Bangladesh Navy ship. The delegation is scheduled to stay on the island for three days.
About the objective of the visit, the officials concerned said that it was part of the preparations of the UN ahead of their engagement on the island.
While on the island, the delegation will look at how the UN would conduct its activities there, they added.
"Today (Monday) the UN Team made up by @UNHCR_BGD and @WFPAsiaPacific experts arrived in Bhasan Char to meet with refugees and conduct needs assessments as part of the operational planning," said UNHCR Bangladesh in a tweet.
"Results will be key to define future UN activities and support on the island," it said.
Following lengthy wrangling, the government and the UN signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the global body's operational engagement with Bhashan Char on October 9.
UN team in Bhashan Char ahead of engagement
A large team of the United Nations is visiting Bhashan Char ahead of the global body's operational engagement with the project intended to relocate 100,000 Rohingyas from Cox's Bazar.
The team comprises 21 members from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and UN World Food Program (WFP).
"Yes, the UN team has arrived," Commander Anwarul Kabir, deputy director of the Bhashan Char project, told Dhaka Tribune on Monday afternoon from the island in the Bay of Bengal that was developed by the Bangladesh Navy at a cost of about Tk3,100 crore.
Around 18,000 Rohingyas have already been relocated and the government is planning to complete the relocation by shipping another 82,000 forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals by January.
The UN team was brought to Bhashan Char from Chittagong by a Bangladesh Navy ship. The delegation is scheduled to stay on the island for three days.
About the objective of the visit, the officials concerned said that it was part of the preparations of the UN ahead of their engagement on the island.
While on the island, the delegation will look at how the UN would conduct its activities there, they added.
"Today (Monday) the UN Team made up by @UNHCR_BGD and @WFPAsiaPacific experts arrived in Bhasan Char to meet with refugees and conduct needs assessments as part of the operational planning," said UNHCR Bangladesh in a tweet.
"Results will be key to define future UN activities and support on the island," it said.
Following lengthy wrangling, the government and the UN signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the global body's operational engagement with Bhashan Char on October 9.