The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Rohingya refugees require urgent support and solution, UNHCR says
Ahead of a donor conference for Rohingya refugees, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, stressed today the need for stronger international support and a redoubling of efforts to find solutions for this stateless and displaced population. Speaking to the media at the United Nations in Geneva, Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), said that “the ongoing humanitarian response is facing a dramatic shortfall this year as less than half of the requested funds have been received so far”. Mahecic added that “in 2020, the United Nations has appealed for more than US$ 1 billion to meet the humanitarian needs of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has added layers of new challenges and needs to an already complex and massive refugee emergency”, he said.
This Thursday (22 October) UNHCR is co-hosting together with the United States, United Kingdom and European Union a virtual donor conference to meet urgent humanitarian needs of forcibly displaced Rohingya both inside and outside Myanmar. About 860,000 Rohingya refugees are currently living in settlements across Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district. The majority, around 740,000, fled from Myanmar during the most recent displacement crisis in August 2017. Other countries in the region host some 150,000 Rohingya refugees. It’s estimated that about 600,000 live in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in deplorable living conditions.
“Across the entire region, most Rohingya live on the margins of society and they need to be assured access to basic healthcare, clean drinking water, a reliable food supply, or meaningful work and educational opportunities”, UNHCR’s Mahecic said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened their living conditions, made access to services even more challenging, increased the risk of sexual and gender-based violence, and exacerbated the impacts of infectious diseases for displaced Rohingya living in crowded camps, such as those in Cox’s Bazar and in Rakhine State”.
UNHCR urges the international community and countries to not only maintain the support for refugees and their hosts, but also to look for solutions. “The focus of search for solutions to this crisis must be the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees and other displaced people to their homes or to a place of their choosing in Myanmar”, UNHCR said. “The responsibility for creating conditions conducive to the safe and sustainable return of Rohingya rests with Myanmar authorities”.
According to UNHCR, some of the solutions to be discussed should be: lift restrictions on freedom of movement, enable displaced Rohingya to return to their own villages and provide a clear pathway to citizenship.
The Rohingya people have face decades of systematic discrimination, statelessness and targeted violence in Rakhine State, Myanmar. Entire villages were burned to the ground, families were separated and killed, and women and girls were gang raped. Most of the people who escaped were severely traumatized after witnessing unspeakable atrocities. They have found temporary shelter in refugee camps around Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, which is now home to the world’s largest refugee camp.
- Exterior wide shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, nations’ flags flying, a cloudy day.
- Security vehicle driving in front of UN Palais
- Wide shot, press briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Andrej Mahecic, Spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): “The ongoing humanitarian response is facing a dramatic shortfall this year as less than half of the requested funds have been received so far. In 2020, the United Nations has appealed for more than US$ 1 billion to meet the humanitarian needs of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has added layers of new challenges and needs to an already complex and massive refugee emergency”.
- Medium shot, journalists
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Andrej Mahecic, Spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): “Across the entire region, most Rohingya live on the margins of society and they need to be assured access to basic healthcare, clean drinking water, a reliable food supply, or meaningful work and educational opportunities. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened their living conditions, made access to services even more challenging, increased the risk of sexual and gender-based violence, and exacerbated the impacts of infectious diseases for displaced Rohingya living in crowded camps, such as those in Cox’s Bazar and in Rakhine State”.
- Medium shot, journalist on the phone
- SOUNDBITE (English) - Andrej Mahecic, Spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR): “The focus of search for solutions to this crisis must be the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees and other displaced people to their homes or to a place of their choosing in Myanmar. The responsibility for creating conditions conducive to the safe and sustainable return of Rohingya rests with Myanmar authorities”.
- Wide shot, room
- Medium shot, podium and screen on the side
- Close up, journalist
- Medium shot, two journalists
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Repeated attacks on humanitarian warehouses put vital medical aid at risk in Ukraine - WHO
A new airstrike overnight damaged one of the main warehouses used by the UN health agency to store humanitarian medical supplies in the Kyiv region, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. This is the third attack to affect a WHO-used storage in the last three months.
2
2
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
Powerful El Niño heightens extreme-weather risks through 2027, as countries brace for impact - WMO
Fuelled by extraordinarily warm waters across the tropical Pacific Ocean, the El Niño climate pattern is expected to intensify in the coming months. Forecasters are almost certain that it will persist through February next year, with unusually warm conditions expected across the globe.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , IFRC , UN WOMEN , WHO
Nepal flood deaths near 1,000 as those spared struggle to survive – UN humanitarians
With the death toll in Nepal’s catastrophic flash floods inching towards 1,000, rescue workers are facing harsh conditions while survivors lack access to food, safe water and health care, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNDRR , IFRC , WHO
Nepal: Flooding disaster “not over” as humanitarians work around the clock
While search and rescue efforts continued Friday following flash floods and mudslides in northern Nepal, UN humanitarians are taking stock of the devastation amid concerns over more flooding to come.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
Damaged roads, disrupted services and renewed military activity are putting civilians at risk in south Lebanon, UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) warns.
The UN peacekeeping mission is urging restraint and renewed political engagement to prevent further escalation.
1
1
1
Edited News | ICRC , UNODA
Amid unconfirmed reports that fully autonomous and AI-guided drones are now being used on the battlefield, UN chief António Guterres and the President of the Red Cross on Tuesday renewed their urgent call for stricter controls, before it is too late.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Somalia: child hunger surges as humanitarian aid dries up – UNICEF
The global funding crisis for vital lifesaving work is taking a growing toll on the most vulnerable children in Somalia, where hundreds of health and nutrition facilities have been forced to close, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
As the deadliest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo’s history continued spreading on Friday, UN responders renewed their urgent appeal for immediate international support, with existing funding for lifesaving work critically low.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC: In the fight against Ebola, bikers transporting dead bodies hold key to community engagement - WHO
From the frontlines of the deadliest-ever Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) shared details on Tuesday of a massive push for community engagement, a day after yet another ambulance attack.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNFPA
Sudan: The harrowing reality of giving birth in a war zone
Sudanese women about to give birth are losing their babies and sometimes their own lives because of a lack of specialist healthcare support, amid the ongoing war, UN humanitarians said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WHO
Colombia earthquake: International teams ready to support, says UN
As earthquake rescue efforts across western Colombia continued on Tuesday, UN agencies said that they stood ready to help “with everything we've got” if and when the request came from the authorities.
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | HRC
Myanmar's military has carried out a sustained campaign of deliberate attacks on civilians – including airstrikes on homes, schools and camps for displaced people, alongside arbitrary detention, torture and sexual violence – Human Rights Council-appointed investigators said on Tuesday.