WB announces $480m grants for Rohingya

The World Bank has announced $480 million grant-based support to help Bangladesh address the needs of Rohingya refugees in health, education, water and sanitation, disaster risk management, and social protection.

WB Board of Directors yesterday approved a $50 million additional grant to an existing Health Sector Support Project, the first in a series that could total as much as $480 million, said a WB statement.

The health-sector grant includes contributions based on an innovative partnership between Canada and the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's fund for the poorest countries.

It will help the Rohingya receive maternal, neonatal, infant, child, and adolescent health and nutrition services, as well as reproductive health care and family planning support.

The announcement comes ahead the high-profile visit of UN Secretary-General António Guterres and World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim to Bangladesh on July 1-2.

“Bangladesh has shown great leadership in this evolving humanitarian crisis by providing refuge for the Rohingya people. This grant allows the World Bank Group, working in collaboration with the Government of Canada, to support these efforts,” Jim Yong Kim said.

Since August last year, more than 700,000 Rohingya have fled a brutal military crackdown against the Rohingya in Myanmar's Rakhine state and taken shelter in the Cox's Bazar, putting pressure on the environment, existing infrastructure, and social services that were already constrained.

Seasonal rains will have important health impacts, including injuries, exacerbation of water-borne diseases, and reduced access to health services. It is estimated that 200,000 people are at risk of landslides and floods during the monsoon season.