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Global concern high, aid low

WFP receives only 18pc of fund required to feed Rohingyas till December

Porimol Palma
The World Food Programme has so far received donations of $45 million, only 18 percent of $243 million required mainly to provide food for one million Rohingyas and 200,000 locals in Cox's Bazar until next December.
This is part of the UN appeal, launched in March in Geneva, for $951 million under the second phase of a joint response plan.
Mia Seppo, UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh, said her office was gathering information from aid agencies on the received fund.
"At the moment, we can say we are
underfunded," she told The Daily Star at her office yesterday ahead of the first ever visit by the 15-member delegation of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to Bangladesh.
Led by its president, the UNSC team will arrive in Dhaka tomorrow afternoon. The delegation is expected to visit the refugee camps in Kutupalong and interact with the Rohingyas to learn about the atrocities they faced in Rakhine.
Christa Rader, WFP country director in Bangladesh, yesterday said, "There is a big gap [between required fund and fund receivedl.. .it is a risky situation."
She expects donors, who look at different needs and discuss among themselves before deciding on providing aid, will come up with assistance in the current phase.
"But I have no guarantee that this will actually happen," said Christa, reflecting a bleak prospect of funding from the international community for the refugees' humanitarian needs.
"Beyond December, it may be very difficult to raise so much money from the international community. Because of the many other crises in the world the funding is also limited. We still have the Middle East, Syria; we have Yemen," said Crista.
The slow funding response is not only seen during the current phase. For
the first phase from September last year to February this year, the appeal was $434 million, but the donor countries contributed around $400 million.
The WFP required $88.55 million in the first six months, but it received $77.23 million, prompting it to borrow grains initially from the Bangladesh government.
Such a funding scenario poses serious risks to Bangladesh that is bearing the huge brunt since the influx of around 700,000 Rohingya refugees who fled atrocities in Myanmar's Rakhine state and joined nearly 400,000 others, who had fled earlier waves of persecution.
The forest in large areas of Ukhia and Teknaf have already been cleared, hills are being levelled for building
refugee shelters, while the underground water level is depleting continuously, exacerbating health and environmental risks, said local officials.
Locals in Cox's Bazar are also facing the challenge of rising prices of essentials because of the huge Rohingya population.
With the monsoon season approaching, authorities in Cox's Bazar are working to strengthen the refugee shelters to protect them from any major disasters, including heavy rain, landslides, and cyclones.
While there is an increasing need for money, the UN says the situation in Rakhine is not conducive yet for the safe and sustainable return of the Rohingya.
Rohingyas, whose houses were
burnt and looted, relatives killed and women relatives raped, said they were fearful of returning unless they were guaranteed citizenship and other basic rights that they were deprived of in Myanmar.
Christa Rader said repatriation of the Rohingyas would happen, but it would take time. In the mean time, the community has to sustain; they need food, healthcare, education and housing.
"In this period of 10 months, we need mid-term options because it is unrealistic for us to assume that over a million people would go back within the 10 months. May be some will go back, "she told The Daily Star.
As medium term options, Christa suggested that the Rohingyas should be engaged in income-generating activi-
ties, and Bangladesh's private sector or even the government could come forward to support the cause.
She talked about her expectations of the donor countries and also raised their issues.
"For example, many donors ask how much are you providing in terms of cash for work. Don't only give us bills how you feed them. Give us what kind of employment are you generating for the people so that they can earn at least partially," Christa said.
Shah Kamal, secretary of the disaster management and relief ministry, said there has not been any discussion on creating jobs for the Rohingyas.
"Our main target is to repatriate the Rohingyas. However, if there is any proposal of creating jobs for them, we
will study its feasibility and act accordingly, "he said.
Farah Kabir, country director of ActionAid Bangladesh, said despite its limited resources, Bangladesh has been doing enough for the Rohingyas, and the global leadership must ensure that funding is enough for the refugees.
"It is unfair to pass on the burden to Bangladeshi citizens. ”
At the same time, the international community must hold Myanmar accountable for its atrocities, Farah told this correspondent.
Regarding job creation for Rohingyas, the development activist said it would be great to provide jobs to refugees, but one needs to keep in mind that there are thousands of jobless people in Bangladesh.
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