UNHCR and World Food Programme welcome new funding from Japan to support Rohingya refugees on Bhasan Char
COX’S BAZAR - The government of Japan has extended an emergency aid grant of US$2 million to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to complement the humanitarian response led by the Government of Bangladesh on Bhasan Char and support the urgent needs of Rohingya refugees living on the island.
“We are grateful to Japan for this commitment. This first ever funding by a donor to the UN operations on Bhasan Char is vital to support the Rohingya refugees living on the island and signals solidarity with the Government and people of Bangladesh hosting them,” said Johannes Van Der Klaauw, UNHCR Representative in Bangladesh.
“The generous contribution from the Japanese government will enable UNHCR and WFP to provide services and activities that will cover key areas of protection, skills training, food, nutrition, livelihoods and health, helping refugees to lead decent lives on the island and better prepare for their sustainable return to Myanmar in the future,” he added.
This grant is in support of the UN response on Bhasan Char, following the signature of the Memorandum of Understanding between the UN and the Government of Bangladesh (9 October 2021) that establishes a common protection and policy framework for the humanitarian response on the island.
“The UN response will complement the assistance currently provided by local NGOs on Bhasan Char,” said Richard Ragan, Representative of WFP in Bangladesh. “Japan’s funding will help immediately address the refugees’ most important needs as well as enhance logistics capacity on the island. We hope that other donors join Japan in supporting Bangladesh and the Rohingya refugees living on Bhasan Char and in the camps in Cox’s Bazar in a time of compound vulnerability,” Ragan added.
UNHCR and WFP are grateful for the support from the Japanese people and welcome the continued partnership with the Japanese embassy to assist Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
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About UNHCR
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. We work to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge, having fled violence, persecution, war or disaster at home.
About WFP
The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. We are the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change. WFP has been working in Bangladesh since 1974.