UN urgently needs funding

Says resident coordinator in Bangladesh

One month on since the start of the Rohingya refugee crisis, there is an urgent need to continue scaling up humanitarian operations to meet the growing needs of the refugees, according to a media release issued by the office of the United Nations resident coordinator in Bangladesh yesterday.

Since 25 August, more than 436,000 refugees have crossed the border from Rakhine state to a number of areas in Cox’s Bazar district, it said, adding that they are settling in severely overcrowded camps and makeshift settlements where there is very limited access to basic services such as food, clean water and shelters.

“In just one month more than 436,000 have fled across land and water to seek refuge in Bangladesh. All available land is now in the process of being built on as the refugees have put up shelters that can offer them some protection,” UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh Robert Watkins said.

“The UN and its NGO partners are working to support the government to provide the refugees with life-saving assistance. The scale of the needs is immense, and we urgently need funding to rapidly increase the support we are providing,” he said UN agencies have been working to meet the life-saving needs of the refugees since the crisis began. To date, UN agencies and their partners have been providing people with emergency shelter kits, food, healthcare, and clean water and sanitation facilities. The people who have arrived in the area are extremely vulnerable, having left their homes and possessions behind. The majority of the refugees are women and children, with one in five households estimated to be headed by women. Growing numbers of separated and unaccompanied children are being reported and support-services for gender-based violence have been identified as a critical need.

UN urgently needs funding

Says resident coordinator in Bangladesh

One month on since the start of the Rohingya refugee crisis, there is an urgent need to continue scaling up humanitarian operations to meet the growing needs of the refugees, according to a media release issued by the office of the United Nations resident coordinator in Bangladesh yesterday. Since 25 August, more than 436,000 refugees have crossed the border from Rakhine state to a number of areas in Coxs Bazar district, it said, adding that they are settling in severely overcrowded camps and makeshift settlements where there is very limited access to basic services such as food, clean water and shelters. In just one month more than 436,000 have fled across land and water to seek refuge in Bangladesh. All available land is now in the process of being built on as the refugees have put up shelters that can offer them some protection, UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh Robert Watkins said. The UN and its NGO partners are working to support the government to provide the refugees with life-saving assistance. The scale of the needs is immense, and we urgently need funding to rapidly increase the support we are providing, he said UN agencies have been working to meet the life-saving needs of the refugees since the crisis began. To date, UN agencies and their partners have been providing people with emergency shelter kits, food, healthcare, and clean water and sanitation facilities. The people who have arrived in the area are extremely vulnerable, having left their homes and possessions behind. The majority of the refugees are women and children, with one in five households estimated to be headed by women. Growing numbers of separated and unaccompanied children are being reported and support-services for gender-based violence have been identified as a critical need.