The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in cooperation with international donors launched a program on Friday to attract nearly $1 billion of humanitarian assistance for vulnerable Rohingya refugees in 2019, the UNHCR said in a press release
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th February, 2019) The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in cooperation with international donors launched a program on Friday to attract nearly $1 billion of humanitarian assistance for vulnerable Rohingya refugees in 2019, the UNHCR said in a press release.
"United Nations aid agencies and NGO partners launched today the 2019 Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis. The appeal seeks to raise US$920 million to meet the massive needs of more than 900,000 refugees from Myanmar and over 330,000 vulnerable Bangladeshis in host communities," the statement said.
According to the UNHCR, over half of these funds are necessary to provide critical aid and services such as food, water, sanitation and shelter, while other funds are needed to ensure health, site management, protection activities including child protection.
"Our humanitarian imperative today is to stabilise the situation of stateless Rohingya refugees and their Bangladesh hosts. We are hoping for timely, predictable and flexible contributions in order to meet the goals of this year's appeal ... But while we tackle these immediate humanitarian needs we must not lose sight of solutions. I repeat my call to Myanmar to take urgent action to address the root causes of this crisis which have persisted for decades, so that people are no longer forced to flee and can eventually return home in safety and dignity," UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said as quoted in the press release.
The 2019 JRP will become the third joint humanitarian appeal. It is built on the achievements already made in order to further stabilize the situation of Rohingya refugees.
Rohingyas, a Muslim minority in Myanmar, have been fleeing their homes to avoid waves of violence following the government's deployment of police and military units in response to an attack by Rohingya insurgents on security posts in Rakhine state on August 25, 2017.
According to the UNHCR, over 745,000 Rohingya refugees have fled from Rakhine state to Bangladesh since August 2017, escaping violence in Myanmar and joining roughly 200,000 others already displaced there.
