Home ›› 02 Jun 2022 ›› Front
Bangladesh needs $100 million in financial support for Rohingyas who have been relocated to the Bhasan Char Island, and for those who will be transferred there in the coming days.
Making the urge at the 38th meeting of the National Task Force (NFT) on the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMN), the country’s officials concerned also urged UN agencies to scale up their engagement in Bhasan Char.
The Business Post has recently obtained meeting minutes of the programme, which took place virtually on 27 April this year.
At that event, Bangladesh discussed the adverse impacts on the environment caused by the prolonged stay of Rohingya in Bangladesh, which is why the Rohingyas are being relocated to the Bhasan Char.
Masud Bin Momen, Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, chaired the meeting.
Momen in his remarks said the relocation of Rohingyas to Bhasan Char will need immediate foreign donation of $100 million. However, no instant commitment came from the representatives of donor agencies who attended the meeting, it was learnt.
Bangladesh fervently called upon the international community to enhance their sincere efforts in Myanmar to ensure voluntary repatriation of the Rohingya to their ancestral land in Rakhine.
The UNHCR country representative stated that the UN agencies – UNHCR, WFP, and UNICEF –have been organising funds for ensuring food supply for Rohingyas, but efforts to scale up UN engagement encountered challenges such as resource mobilisation, funding, limited capacity of logistics and transportation.
Meanwhile, a WFP representative highlighted that the generous contributions obtained from Japan and the United Kingdom have been exhausted, and they are desperately looking for funds to continue the operations.
In the meeting, stakeholders said the informal periodic meetings between principal secretary and the donors is being held, and the issues concerning funding modalities and tenure of the proposed projects are being discussed.
They added that the World Bank was approached for allocation for two mobile water treatment plants – from among four such plants for FDMN camps in Cox’s Bazar – under the emergency multi Sector Rohingya Crisis Response Project (EMRCP) project.
But the World Bank replied that it was not permissible under the agreement already signed. Stakeholders at the meeting said the government might undertake a separate project in this regard – which the World Bank might consider financing.
In the course of the meeting, a number of decisions were taken for Bangladesh agencies.
The Power Division, under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, would undertake necessary actions for the transmission of electricity to Bhasan Char by using submarine cable from the nearest convenient point in an expeditious manner.
The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) would complete the infrastructural works at Chairman Ghat of Noakhali for facilitating the connectivity with Bhasan Char, and the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) would arrange one dedicated Sea Truck to facilitate movement of people and transportation of goods to Bhasan Char.
The Ministry of Health will work for early endorsement of the UNFPA proposed Family Planning Strategic Plan.
Stakeholders also made several decisions for the UN agencies.
UN agencies will work on the introduction of an e-voucher mechanism to reduce exchange of cash among FDMNs.
Additionally, the UN agencies in consultation with the Skill Development Committee led by RRRC would finalise the “Skill Development Policy or Framework and the Volunteer Engagement Guidelines.”
The UNHCR will strengthen its activities on Bhasan Char and facilitate food distribution to FDMNs living there.
The meeting chair expected formal announcement of the United State on the violence of the Myanmar military against the Rohingya as “Genocide and Crimes against Humanity,” read the meeting minutes.
This announcement would play a far-reaching role in ensuring accountability of the perpetrators for ensuring justice for the Rohingya.
