HRW Concerns about UN Budget Cuts for Rohingya Refugees

Dhaka, MINA – Global human rights watchdog, Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed concern over the recent budget cut plans by the World Food Program (WFP) for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

“The 2022 Joint Response to the Rohingya humanitarian crisis received less than half of the US$881 million needed for this year. Refugees are at risk of shortages of food and other basic needs,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Moreover, he continued, these cuts coincided with rising living costs, and could reduce the purchasing power of refugees. Anadolu Agency reported on Wednesday.

The statement added that food shortages could lead to further violence and unrest in the camps, along with the increased risk of human trafficking.

The WFP stated that their agency would indeed cut the food ration budget for Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, by 17% starting March 1 to $10 per person. WFP explained that this was due to a sharp decline in international funding donors, as a result of the global economic crisis.

Further cuts are likely in April, unless donors provide an additional $125 million soon, the report continued.

Budget cuts will have a serious impact on refugees, especially children under five, teenage girls, and pregnant and lactating women, in Bangladesh’s crowded camps, home to more than 1.2 million Rohingya.

Most of the refugees had fled military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in August 2017.

Meanwhile, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh’s makeshift camps said in an open letter to UN authorities that any reduction in WFP’s food allowance could seriously impact their health and well-being.

Sahat Zia Hero, a Rohingya youth leader at the camp, said despite the dire situations around the world, the Rohingya issue must remain a priority.

“We are human beings in the world who also have the right to survive with dignity and minimal basic rights,” he said. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)