ROHINGYA REFUGEE CRISIS PLEDGING CONFERENCE IN GENEVA
DHAKA, Oct. 24 (NsNewsWire) — At the Pledging Conference for the Rohingya Refugee Crisis held in
Geneva on 23 October, the international community
came together and vowed to stand with
the refugees in Bangladesh, committing to provide US$340 million to the ongoing
humanitarian response.
At the beginning of October, the humanitarian community in Bangladesh released a Response
Plan that called for $
434 million. Since then the number of refugees in Bangladesh has
continued to rise, with tens of thousands of people still making the journey across the border
every week.
Prior to the Pledging Conference, the Response Plan was funded at only 27 percent
. The
commitments delivered at the conference were an opportunity for the international
community to collectively mobilize resources to provide life
–
saving assistance to refugees,
and members of the host community, in Cox’s Bazar.
Speaking at the Pledgin
g Conference, the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Robert D.
Watkins said, “This is now the fastest
–
growing refugee crisis in the world and there is an
urgent need for further funding to enable us to scale up humanitarian operations. We are
grateful t
o the Government of Bangladesh, which has kept their border open, and to the host
communities who have been so generous in supporting the new arrivals. We are thankful that
the international community has also shown solidarity with the refugees and the wil
lingness
to support those who desperately need it.”
“In addition to the $116 million raised since the beginning of this crisis, the international
community has now pledged an additional US$340 million. This will allow aid agencies
provide life
–
saving as
sistance, including shelter, food, clean, water, sanitation, health,
nutrition and protective services, and prevent a further tragedy from occurring within this
current crisis.”
Following the conclusion of the Pledging Conference, the United Nations wil
l follow up to
ensure that all the pledges are realized and the funds are swiftly released, while continuing to
look for ways to meet the growing needs amongst the refugee and host communities.