$951M ROHINGYA RESPONSE PLAN

25pc to be spent on host community

A quarter of the $951 million joint response plan launched on March 16 to look after hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas, who had to take shelter in Cox’s Bazar to escape the brutalities of the Myanmar security forces, local Buddhist mobs and people from other communities in Rakhine, will be spent on the host community.

The people of Teknaf and Ukhiya upazilas of Cox’s Bazar have been badly affected in every sphere of life due to the presence of the large number of Rohingyas from across the border. According to senior officials of the government and international organisations, the issue related to the welfare of the host community that numbers from 3 to 5 lakh has always been in the forefront while formulating the new response plan which will run till the end of this year.

The Bangladesh side asked for one-third of the $951 million to be spent on the host community, but eventually the government and concerned United Nations agencies agreed on one-fourth.

“We wanted one-third of the fund to be spent on the people of the host community, who made significant sacrifices for the Rohingyas. They deserve it because the presence of the large number of people from Myanmar had a severe impact on their lives,” Ali Hossain, deputy commissioner of Cox’s

Bazar, told The Independent. “But eventually, we agreed that 25 per cent of the $951 million will be spent on the host community,” he said. To a question, the deputy commissioner said that upon the availability of the appealed fund, the money will be used on the affected sectors like education, health, environment, sanitation, hygiene and water.

“We are still planning. Let the money be available first,” he said.  While launching the funding appeal in Geneva on March 16, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi paid rich tribute to the host community. He also made it clear that the appealed fund is not only for the Rohingyas but also for the host community.

“And last but not least, and I will conclude with this, we should not forget that this appeal is not only for the refugees but also for the communities hosting them that share meagre resources,” said the high commissioner.

“In out in excess of 300,000 nationals from Bangladesh directly affected by the presence of refugees that will need the same kind of support. We will also need to look at the services that are shared by the host communities and refugees in order to strengthen them in the medium term, waiting for a solution to happen,” he said.

$951M ROHINGYA RESPONSE PLAN

25pc to be spent on host community

A quarter of the $951 million joint response plan launched on March 16 to look after hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas, who had to take shelter in Coxs Bazar to escape the brutalities of the Myanmar security forces, local Buddhist mobs and people from other communities in Rakhine, will be spent on the host community. The people of Teknaf and Ukhiya upazilas of Coxs Bazar have been badly affected in every sphere of life due to the presence of the large number of Rohingyas from across the border. According to senior officials of the government and international organisations, the issue related to the welfare of the host community that numbers from 3 to 5 lakh has always been in the forefront while formulating the new response plan which will run till the end of this year. The Bangladesh side asked for one-third of the $951 million to be spent on the host community, but eventually the government and concerned United Nations agencies agreed on one-fourth. We wanted one-third of the fund to be spent on the people of the host community, who made significant sacrifices for the Rohingyas. They deserve it because the presence of the large number of people from Myanmar had a severe impact on their lives, Ali Hossain, deputy commissioner of Coxs Bazar, told The Independent. But eventually, we agreed that 25 per cent of the $951 million will be spent on the host community, he said. To a question, the deputy commissioner said that upon the availability of the appealed fund, the money will be used on the affected sectors like education, health, environment, sanitation, hygiene and water. We are still planning. Let the money be available first, he said. While launching the funding appeal in Geneva on March 16, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi paid rich tribute to the host community. He also made it clear that the appealed fund is not only for the Rohingyas but also for the host community. And last but not least, and I will conclude with this, we should not forget that this appeal is not only for the refugees but also for the communities hosting them that share meagre resources, said the high commissioner. In out in excess of 300,000 nationals from Bangladesh directly affected by the presence of refugees that will need the same kind of support. We will also need to look at the services that are shared by the host communities and refugees in order to strengthen them in the medium term, waiting for a solution to happen, he said.