5 lakh Rohingya refugees get identity cards
As of Wednesday, more than 500,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been jointly registered by the Bangladesh authorities and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
For most of these refugees, it is the first time they have a proof of their identity, a secure identity card. The biometric, fraud-proof cards are being issued to all verified refugees over 12, UNHCR said in a press release yesterday.
This comprehensive registration -- being simultaneously carried out in all refugee settlements in Cox’s Bazar -- is meant to ensure the accuracy of data on refugees in Bangladesh, giving national authorities and humanitarian partners a better understanding of the population and their needs.
Accurate data will help agencies in their programme planning and be able to target assistance where it is needed the most, particularly for people with specific needs, such as women and children taking care of their families and people with disabilities.
Last week, using the biometric data collected during this registration exercise, UNHCR launched the Global Distribution Tool (GDT) in a refugee settlement in Cox’s Bazar.
Through verification of fingerprints or iris scans, this tool speeds up distributions, is fraud proof, and can be used by partners to ensure that there is no overlap in assistance. It continues to be rolled out in more settlements in the coming weeks.
The new registration cards indicate that Myanmar is the country of origin, a critical element in establishing and safeguarding the right of Rohingya refugees to return to their homes in Myanmar.
An estimated 900,000 Rohingya refugees live in crowded settlements in Cox’s Bazar, with over 740,000 thought to have fled from Myanmar since August 2017.
The registration exercise, currently underway, began in June 2018. On average, some 5,000 refugees are being registered daily at seven different sites within the settlements.
More than 550 local staff have been recruited to work on the exercise with a goal to complete the registration process during the last quarter of 2019.
UNHCR’s Biometric Identity Management System (BIMS) captures biometric data, including fingerprints and iris scans, which secure each refugee’s unique identity as well as other important information such as family links.
Both UNHCR and the Bangladeshi authorities meet regularly with the refugee community, including elected community representatives, imams, elders and teachers, to explain the benefits of registration and respond to questions and concerns.
Outreach teams composed of refugee volunteers also go into the community to explain the registration process and encourage people to register.
Rohingya refugees live in an environmentally fragile part of Bangladesh that is prone to natural disasters.
UNHCR is appealing to the international community to continue to support Rohingya refugees and Bangladesh. At the end of July, UNHCR and partners working on the joint refugee response in Bangladesh have received US $318 million, just over a third of the total US $920 million needed in 2019.
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