IOM urges support for Rohingyas, local hosts
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) yesterday called on the international community to ensure much-needed humanitarian assistance and long-term support for Rohingya refugees and their host communities.
"As the Rohingya crisis marks its sixth year in Bangladesh, the plight of nearly one million refugees remains unchanged, trapped in a cycle of uncertainty and vulnerability," IOM said in a statement.
On August 25, 2017, hundreds of thousands of people fled violence in Rakhine, Myanmar, to Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Since then, Cox's Bazar has been home to the world's largest refugee settlement, hosting almost one million refugees -- half of whom are children, IOM said.
This year, humanitarian organisations have appealed for $876 million in aid for around 1.47 million people, including both Rohingya refugees and local communities.
However, the funds raised for this Joint Response Plan had only reached nearly 29 percent of the target as of the middle of this year.
This shortfall underscores the urgent need for unwavering and consistent financial support for the refugees, who almost entirely rely on humanitarian assistance.
"The crucial funding that sustains the hopes and aspirations of these refugees is dwindling, casting a shadow of uncertainty over their future," said IOM Bangladesh's Chief of Mission, Abdusattor Esoev.
"The international community must reaffirm its steadfast commitment to these vulnerable people, as well as to the Bangladeshi communities that have stood in solidarity over the years," he added.
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