EU announces around Tk 300cr fund for Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar

The European Union has announced €32 million (around Tk 304 crore) for some one million Rohingyas sheltered in Cox's Bazar and Bangladeshi host communities, an EU Delegation in Dhaka said in a statement today.

Of the amount, €12 million (around Tk 114 crore) will be dedicated to Covid-19 response and €20 million (around Tk 190 crore) to address the need of both host communities and Rohingya to improve their access to basic services in education, food security, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene to enhance their resilience.

The activities under the €20million also includes a complementary small cross-border operation worth €1 million to enhance mutual understanding among community-based organisations assisting the refugees, internally displaced persons and host communities on the other side of the border.

All EU-funded activities will address issues such as protection of girls and women, sexual and gender-based violence, and psychosocial support.

"The €32 million funding is an important contribution to Bangladesh's continuous generosity and humanity in hosting Rohingya that fled neighbouring Myanmar," said the Ambassador of the EU, Rensje Teerink.

"It is part of the Team Europe global response to Covid-19 in the country with a specific component to support the needs of both Bangladeshi host communities in Cox's Bazar and Rohingyas in the camps to address the crisis worsened by the pandemic," she added.

The funding contributes to the 2030 Agenda's call to 'leave no one behind', in line with the Strategic Objectives of the UN Joint Response Plan 2020 including the current Covid-19 challenges.

The activities under the funding will be implemented by UNHCR, UNICEF and United Nations Office for Project Services.