Poor funding worries humanitarian agencies supporting Rohingya

Less  than  20  per cent of  the  2020  Joint  Response  Plan  for  the  Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis has been funded so far, said the Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG), the platform of international organisations providing humanitarian support to the Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar.

In order to sustain vital preparedness and response efforts for the cyclone season, funding is crucial and urgently needed, particularly for shelter and emergency items and to increase the capacity of mobile  response  teams, the ISCG said in a statement on Monday.

The lack of adequate funding risks compromising essential services and the health and wellbeing of both the Rohingya and their Bangladeshi hosts.

The restoration of 3G and 4G internet coverage in the Rohingya settlements and broader operational area remains a  key  request of  the  UN  and humanitarian  partners, it said. 

As rains and thunderstorms batter Cox’s Bazar as a prelude to the cyclone season, and the danger of the  COVID-19  pandemic  looms  in  the  district, Inter  Sector  Coordination  Group (ISCG)  partners  – national and international NGOs and UN agencies – in support of the government of Bangladesh, are assisting  thousands  in  the  host  community  and  Rohingya  refugee  camps  to  prepare  for  possible extreme weather.

A cyclone coming on top of the Covid-19 outbreak would intensify the ongoing humanitarian crisis, particularly in the refugee camps, where almost 860,000 Rohingya refugees are living in temporary shelters, many in hazardous terrains, and in overcrowded conditions, with limited resources and a lack of options for emergency relocation.

Cyclone and monsoon preparedness remain a key priority.

In line with the Government’s Standing Orders on Disaster, the humanitarian community has put in place a 72-hour response plan for an extreme weather event, in cooperation with the deputy commissioner of Cox’s Bazar, local authorities in Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas (sub-districts), the Bangladesh Armed Forces, and Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC).

The cyclone response plan has been in place since last year and builds on joint cyclone and monsoon mitigation efforts in the past few years. 

The  UN and partner agencies have strategically prepositioned sufficient stock of emergency items such as food, tarpaulins, ropes, floor mats, and water purification tablets in warehouses located in Cox’s Bazar, Ukhiya, and Teknaf and containers within the camps, to ensure rapid access to support the most affected in both the Rohingya and host communities. 

In addition to stockpiling, humanitarian partners are also accelerating other preparedness activities, including the distribution of tie-down kits and sensitisation and awareness raising both in the camps and  in  nearby  Bangladeshi  communities. 

Restrictions  put  in  place  to  mitigate  risks  of  a  Covid-19 outbreak in the camps have led to the suspension of some key activities, including slope stabilisation work and improvements to drainage systems.  

The RRRC has issued a directive to limit operations to critical activities only and reduce the “footprint” of humanitarian personnel in the  camps,  consistent with the  government’s public health policies aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19.

Now more than ever, volunteers will be at the forefront of preparedness and response efforts.  “Covid-19 adds a layer of complexity when it comes to preparing and responding to natural disasters. We are reviewing the cyclone response plan in this light, to see how risks of the virus spreading to Rohingya and Bangladeshi communities can be mitigated, while still being able to save lives together when severe weather hits Cox’s Bazar district,” explains Nicole Epting, ISCG senior coordinator in Cox’s Bazar.

The humanitarian bodies also noted that internet access  is  essential  to facilitate humanitarian  operations, strengthen security for personnel in  the  field  and ensure  that critical information reaches the people who need it most, as Bangladesh prepares for the imminent cyclone season and works to contain the spread of Covid-19.

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