Diplomatic Correspondent :
The Bangladesh government on Wednesday signed a $165 million grant financing agreement with the World Bank (WB) to provide basic services and build disaster and social resilience for the Rohingya, who came after persecution in Myanmar.
To help Bangladesh deal with the world’s fastest growing exodus, the Emergency Multi-Sector Rohingya Crisis Response Project will build 53 multi-purpose disaster shelters in and around the camps; pave more than 200km of roads; provide water and sanitation services for around 200,000 people; and set up 1,500 solar street lights.
The project will also strengthen emergency response services, provide community works and services, and prevent gender-based violence, said a press release of the World Bank.
“The government and people of Bangladesh have generously provided shelter to about a million Rohingya refugees but the needs of both the Rohingya and the host community are huge,” said Dandan Chen, World Bank Acting Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.
“This project addresses the current refugee crisis but goes further to help strengthen the government’s overall capacity to plan, coordinate and respond to emergencies,” the release added.
More than half of the Rohingya are women and girls and many were exposed to gender-based violence before coming to Bangladesh. The services delivered under the project will focus on women and children as key beneficiaries and will include measures to prevent gender-based violence.
The Bangladesh government on Wednesday signed a $165 million grant financing agreement with the World Bank (WB) to provide basic services and build disaster and social resilience for the Rohingya, who came after persecution in Myanmar.
To help Bangladesh deal with the world’s fastest growing exodus, the Emergency Multi-Sector Rohingya Crisis Response Project will build 53 multi-purpose disaster shelters in and around the camps; pave more than 200km of roads; provide water and sanitation services for around 200,000 people; and set up 1,500 solar street lights.
The project will also strengthen emergency response services, provide community works and services, and prevent gender-based violence, said a press release of the World Bank.
“The government and people of Bangladesh have generously provided shelter to about a million Rohingya refugees but the needs of both the Rohingya and the host community are huge,” said Dandan Chen, World Bank Acting Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.
“This project addresses the current refugee crisis but goes further to help strengthen the government’s overall capacity to plan, coordinate and respond to emergencies,” the release added.
More than half of the Rohingya are women and girls and many were exposed to gender-based violence before coming to Bangladesh. The services delivered under the project will focus on women and children as key beneficiaries and will include measures to prevent gender-based violence.
The project will build gender-friendly public spaces. All facilities, including water and sanitation and cyclone shelters, will cater to the needs of women, children and disabled individuals. The streetlights will improve the safety for women.
“Under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the Bangladesh government has provided shelter to the Forcibly Displaced Rohingya Population (FDRP). But, this has placed enormous strain on our resources and infrastructure,” said Monowar Ahmed, Secretary of the Economic Relations Division.
“We are happy that the World Bank has joined hands with grant support to build disaster resilience and basic infrastructure and improve service delivery for FDRP,” he said.
