The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a new contribution of USD 4.5 million from the government of Germany towards the critical work for Rohingya families and their host communities in Cox’s Bazar.
“This contribution will support the government of Bangladesh to meet its commitment to the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals as well as their host communities in Cox’s Bazar,” said Md Mohsin, Secretary, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.
Lifesaving assistance is particularly important now with the ongoing pandemic and heavy monsoon rains as both of which are posing great risks to vulnerable families, he said.
The entire population of the 859,000 Rohingyas living across the camps in Cox’s Bazar, one of the poorest districts of Bangladesh, rely on WFP for food, said the WFP on Wednesday.
Besides, WFP provides nutrition and livelihoods support to the host communities in order to improve their long-term food security outlook.
“As a longstanding partner to the government of Bangladesh and WFP, we are pleased to know that our contribution is helping humanitarian workers in the frontline to continue their lifesaving work for some of the most vulnerable people during such trying times,” said Peter Fahrenholtz, German Ambassador to Bangladesh.
Through the German Federal Foreign Office, the new funding support from Germany will also go towards telecommunications services in support of the work of the wider humanitarian community.
“At a time when Covid-19 is exacerbating inequalities and severely impacting communities in Bangladesh and also around the world, we are especially grateful for such an act of solidarity and generosity from Germany,” said Richard Ragan, WFP Country Director in Bangladesh.
With this latest contribution, Germany has provided WFP Bangladesh with a total of USD 30 million since the onset of the Rohingya refugee crisis in 2017.
(Source: UNB)
