South Korea has decided to provide $4 million this year to international agencies having presence in Bangladesh with a view to support  the Rohingya refugees and their host communities. 

The contribution will be used for the humanitarian activities of UN agencies and other international organizations to support the Rohingya refugees and their host communities in Bangladesh under the recently announced 2021 Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis.

This year’s $4 million contribution has been allocated to the UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, IOM and IFRC. 

An amount of $1 million had already been disbursed to IOM to assist the emergency response to the massive fire in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp in March, said the South Korean Embassy in Dhaka on Wednesday. 

Supporting the host community, addressing gender-based violence, supporting children and girls, and responding to emergencies and disaster relief are among the priority areas for Korea in its support for the Rohingya refugees and the host community. 

In addition to the financial contributions, the Republic of Korea, through KOICA, has also implemented a number of humanitarian projects to support the Rohingya refugees and host communities in partnership with other international organizations and international NGOs. 

Read: JRP 2021: Dhaka seeks permanent solution to Rohingya crisis

In cooperation with UNFPA, KOICA is implementing a project to support the menstrual health of women and girls in Cox’s Bazar which is worth $3 million for the period of 2021-24. 

KOICA is also working with NGOs such as Adi, World Vision, and Concern Worldwide in Cox’s Bazar on various projects supporting the refugees and the host community.

As a trusted partner of Bangladesh, the Korean Government has been closely working with the international community to resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis since the outbreak in 2017. 

Korea has provided the international community with around $20 million between 2017 and 2021 for Rohingya refugee-related activities in Bangladesh. 

This humanitarian assistance will help protect the displaced persons and host communities.

The Republic of Korea said they will continue to work closely with the international community as well as the Bangladeshi Government to address the humanitarian crisis and search for durable solutions focused on the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of the Rohingya refugees to their homes in Myanmar.