Staff Reporter :
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has said it stands ready to support Bangladesh in addressing the growing Rohingya crisis if the government seeks assistance from it to this end.
“ADB stands ready to help Bangladesh on the issue of Rohingya. It is waiting for the request from the government to be involved into the Rohingya crisis,” the visiting ADB South Asian director general Kim Hun told reporters on Monday after a meeting with Finance Minister AMA Muhith at the Secretariat.
He hinted that the assistance from the bank would be in from of grant primarily.
He, however, said the bank has to find out a way as to how the assistance can be provided for the Rohingyas.
Earlier, the government of Bangladesh received similar pledge from the World Bank.
“We’re monitoring the Rohingya crisis very closely with UN agencies and other development partners. The World Bank stands ready to support the government of Bangladesh in addressing the growing refugee crisis,” said World Bank Country Director in Bangladesh Qimiao Fan.
The UN humanitarian organisations helping Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh earlier said that they need $434 million over the next six months to help an estimated 809,000 Rohingyas who fled Bangladesh amid escalating violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State since 25 August.
The government of Bangladesh, local charities and volunteers, the UN and NGOs have been working round the clock to help the stateless refugees who depend on humanitarian assistance for food, water, shelter, health services and other essentials.
International donor community recently announced more than US$344 million to ramp up delivery of critical humanitarian assistance to Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh.
