UN Migration Agency appeals for $ 119.77 million for Rohingya

News Hour

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has appealed to the international community for 119.77 million US dollars to provide desperately needed aid as over 500,000 newly arrived Rohingya are now living in dire state in different makeshift camps in Cox’s Bazar.

The speed and the magnitude of the influx since 25 August, when tens of thousands of Rohingya began fleeing violence in Northern Rakhine State, Myanmar, has resulted in a critical humanitarian emergency.

The majority arrived with little or nothing, joining an estimated 300,000 that had fled in earlier waves of displacement, said an IOM press release today.

The UN Migration Agency at the request of the government of Bangladesh has been leading the Inter Sector Coordination Group, which is coordinating the humanitarian response to the influx of Rohingyas.

This appeal outlines IOM’s funding requirement from September 2017 to February 2018 as a part of the wider UN Humanitarian Response Plan, said the release.

Prior to the latest influx, IOM was coordinating humanitarian assistance to some 200,000 Rohingyas living in makeshift settlements in Cox’s Bazar and continues to support this population, as well as newer arrivals.

With existing settlements in Cox’s Bazar becoming dangerously congested and the small village’s population tripling in a matter of weeks, IOM’s response plan, targets an estimated 450,000 individuals (90,000 households) in two phases to ensure adequate protection before the next rainy season begins in March/April 2018.

On September 14, Bangladesh government allocated 2,000 acres of forest land to set up a new camp in Ukhia Upazila. The land however, is entirely underdeveloped and will require planning and support to decongest sites, build roads and bridges, install drainage systems and provide soil protection earthworks to avoid landslides and additions risks, added the release.

IOM is leading the site management sector in Cox’s Bazar and its site developments aim to help 350,000 individuals.

The mass influx of Rohingyas has overwhelmed local Bangladesh administrations and its health services. There is an urgent need to provide immediate primary and secondary healthcare for the new arrivals through the establishment of new clinics and the strengthening of government facilities.

Mridha Shihab Mahmud is a writer, content editor and photojournalist. He works as a staff reporter at News Hour. He is also involved in humanitarian works through a trust called Safety Assistance For Emergencies (SAFE). Mridha also works as film director. His passion is photography. He is the chief respondent person in Mymensingh Film & Photography Society. Besides professional attachment, he loves graphics designing, painting, digital art and social networking.
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