Rohingyas must have access to livelihood

UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi wants to use funds for the Rohingyas judiciously and create livelihood options for them.

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Star, he said, "Rohingyas should have [at least] the minimum access to livelihood. Otherwise, it is very risky to create a dependent population.

"Also, it is difficult to mobilse humanitarian assistance for many years."

Responding to a question, he said, "Repatriation is the ultimate solution but you cannot keep people in limbo for years and years."

He made the statements on Monday, a day before the UN and Bangladesh launched a Joint Response Plan (JRP) that seeks to mobilise $943m for nearly a million Rohingyas and five lakh host community people in Cox's Bazar.

Last year, Bangladesh made access to education available for the Rohingya children. Some of them are now engaged in different activities for their livelihoods.

However, a large number of youths at the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar are yet to find a job.

Some 750,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh following a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine State in 2017.

Despite repeated attempts by the Bangladesh government, not a single Rohingya could be repatriated.

On top of that, the military coup in Myanmar and the coronavirus pandemic further complicated the situation.

Grandi said, "The impact of the presence [of the Rohingyas] is very severe for the local community, environment, and infrastructure."

The UN is asking Bangladesh to be patient, he said, adding, "We are also asking donors, please do not take that patience [the host community's] for granted."

Sating that Bangladesh is facing a second wave of coronavirus and having severe social, economic and health impacts, he said Bangladesh was hosting the Rohingyas and that was beyond any financial help.

He said the UN has multiplied pressure on the donors to get more resources. He urges not only the Western countries – Europe, North America, or Australia but also the donors in Asia -- Japan, Korea, and the Gulf. "We would like them to do more."

Meanwhile, asked about the UN's operations in the Bhasanchar, where some 20,000 Rohingyas have already been relocated, Grandi said that the UN's delegation got a positive response while visiting the area.

The UN will be engaging there for sure, but it needs to do a more detailed assessment of how it will engage, he added.

"They need to have access to education and some form of livelihood. If you transfer them [100,000, the total capacity of Bhasanchar] and make them dependent…it will not be good for anybody," he said.

Asked about the local NGOs' involvement in the humanitarian operations, the UNHCR chief said localisation was a big trend internationally, and it was very healthy.

"Bear in mind, everybody has a different role to play, UN, INGOs, and national NGOs. All have scopes. If it takes more time [for repatriation], it should shift towards localisation. It is cost-effective and effective because local NGOs know the field better, can communicate better.

"We need to be judicious. My call for my colleagues … where it can be done by local organisations, let them do it," Grandi said.