By BDNews24
World Bank to provide $480m grant to
Bangladesh to help Rohingya https://lnkd.in/d8y7ANA
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says the UN is
pressuring Myanmar to resolve the Rohingya crisis.
The UN chief and World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim
met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her offices in Dhaka on Sunday as part of
their trip to Bangladesh.
Guterres said there should be more pressure on Myanmar to
make them understand what they should do on this issue, according to Prime
Minister’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim.
The UN and World Bank officials also gave their
assurances that the organisations would continue their support for Bangladesh
on the issue.
Kim and Guterres are scheduled to visit the Rohingya
refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar on Monday.
At least 700,000 Rohingyas have crossed the border from
Myanmar to Bangladesh since the Myanmar military began a crackdown in the state
of Rakhine last August. Combined with the approximately 400,000 Rohingyas
previously living in Bangladesh, the total refugee population has increased to
1.1 million.
The UN has called the military operation ‘ethnic
cleansing’. The Rohingya situation has been considered Asia’s largest refugee
crisis in recent history.
Though the Bangladesh and Myanmar governments have
reached an agreement on the return of the refugees, progress on implementing
the plan has been slow.
The UN has emphasised the need for a voluntary, safe and
respectful return process that follows international law.
Guterres praised Sheikh Hasina and the Bangladesh
government for opening the door to the Rohingya refugees and for giving them
refuge.
He also discussed the possibility of providing education
to the refugees in Bangladesh.
“Their main concern is that the Rohingya refugees in
Bangladesh may become involved in extremism,” Karim said.
The UN secretary general also praised the World Bank for
stepping forward to provide help on the issue. The World Bank recently
announced a $480 million fund for helping the Rohingyas.
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim reiterated that
Bangladesh was the organisation’s second largest client, saying that it showed
the agency’s faith in the current government.
“The World Bank president mentioned that he would discuss
offering Bangladesh World Bank loans at a concession rate despite the recent
graduation to lower middle-income status,” said Karim.
Both Guterres and Kim also praised Bangladesh’s recent
economic development.