Indonesian, Bangladeshi Foreign Ministers Visit Refugee
Camps, Settlements with IOM, UNHCR in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
Bangladesh - IOM Bangladesh Chief of Mission Sarat Dash and
UNHCR Bangladesh Country Representative Shinji Kubo Tuesday have accompanied
Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and Bangladesh Minister of
Foreign Affairs Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali on a field visit to Cox’s Bazar to see
the developing crisis of civilians fleeing violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State to
seek protection in Bangladesh.
Foreign Minister Marsudi visited Bangladesh on a one-day
familiarisation visit, during which she is also scheduled to meet with the
Prime Minister of Bangladesh to discuss the evolving situation. Her visit to
Bangladesh comes on the wake of an Association of South East Asian Nations
(ASEAN) Foreign Ministers meeting in Yangon organized by the Government of
Myanmar in an effort to reduce regional concerns over the situation in the
northern part of Rakhine State.
The high level delegates visited a registered refugee camp
and a makeshift settlement in the Cox’s Bazar district of Ukhia, where they met
both with refugees and Undocumented Myanmar Nationals (UMN), who have been in
the country for many years. They also met with those who have arrived since the
violence erupted in early October 2016. The discussions with the community
allowed the visitors to better understand the ground realities that have forced
some 34,000 civilians to cross the border into Bangladesh in recent weeks and
months.
Both IOM and UNHCR also had an opportunity to raise
awareness around service areas that will require strengthening to ensure the
needs of the new arrivals are met, without diluting the existing services
further. This visit was also helpful to understand the protection and
assistance needs of the new arrivals.
UNHCR and its partners work in the two registered refugee
camps covering protection and basic needs for some 32,000 individuals, starting
from registration, access to justice, child protection, response to sexual and
gender-based violence, livelihood trainings, non-food items to water and
sanitation.
IOM and its partners work in the makeshift settlements and
neighbouring host communities reaching about 100,000 of the most vulnerable.
The services provided to the Unregistered Myanmar Nationals include health
care, water and sanitation support, non-formal education and responses to
sexual and gender-based violence.
“UNHCR encourages the Government of Bangladesh to allow
people to seek safety from the ongoing violence in Myanmar and have access to
immediate safety and essential humanitarian assistance,” said Shinji Kubo.
“UNHCR stands ready to provide support and can play an important role in the
coordination of a refugee response, as well as advocacy with the international
community to support and enhance resources.”
Sarat Dash added: “IOM has been able to provide assistance
to the most vulnerable in Cox’s Bazar, as the lead UN agency nominated by the
national strategy on the situation adopted by the Bangladesh Cabinet in 2013.
With support from the government, we are currently expanding our programs to
ensure we can reach out to the latest arrivals, but resources are being
stretched thin. We hope this high level visit will bring much-needed focus to this
forgotten crisis and speed the possibility of a political solution.”
The delegation was also accompanied by Bangladesh State
Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh
Iwan Wiranata-atmadja, and Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh’s Ministry of
Foreign Affairs Md. Shahidul Haque.
For further information please contact Sarat Dash at IOM
Bangladesh. Tel: +8801534003304, Email sdash@iom.int