GENEVA: The United Nations on Wednesday called for increased support for the many Rohingya refugees languishing in camps in Bangladesh, where funding shortfalls have left many without enough food or other assistance.
In its annual response plan to the crisis, the UN appealed for 852.4 million dollars to provide desperately needed aid this year to the mostly Muslim Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and their host communities, AFP reported.
Bangladesh is home to nearly one million members of the mostly stateless minority, many of whom fled a 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar, where the conflict on the ground has continued to escalate.
Some 95% of Rohingya households in Bangladesh are considered vulnerable and remain dependent on humanitarian aid, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said in a statement.
It said that global solidarity with Bangladesh and refugee protection is needed more than ever as the conflict in Myanmar escalates.
In 2023, the UN and its partners asked countries to provide 876 million dollars to help those caught up in the Rohingya refugee crisis.
But in the end, only 440 million dollars — barely half the requested amount — was provided.
With the humanitarian crisis largely out of the global spotlight, UNHCR warned that major funding shortfalls in recent years had had “serious implications”.
Many of the refugees were struggling to meet their basic requirements, it warned, insisting that sustained aid is critically and urgently needed.
More than 75% of the refugee population receiving aid are females and children, it said, cautioning that they are facing increased risks of exploitation, abuse, and gender-based violence.
Over Half of Refugees in Camps are Under 18
It said that over half of the refugees in the camps are under eighteen, languishing amidst limited opportunities for education, livelihoods, and skills-building.
The UN-led joint response plan to the crisis brings together 117 partners, half of them Bangladeshi organizations.
It will aim to help around one million Rohingya refugees in the Cox’s Bazar camps and on the island of Bhasan Char, along with about 350,000 people from host communities.
The money will be used to fund food, health care, drinking water access, shelter, protection services, education and other assistance, the UN said.
