World Bank President in Dhaka, UN chief to join soon
Dhaka: The World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim arrived here on Saturday afternoon to accompany United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to visit Rohingya camps.
The UN Secretary General is due to arrive here early Sunday.
Kim along with the United Nations chief will assess the severity of the crisis and discuss what more can be done.
The World Bank President will begin his official visit on Sunday, a senior official told UNB confirming his arrival in Dhaka on Saturday, reports the UNB.
They will visit the Rohingya settlements in Cox’s Bazar and meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Finance Minister AMA Muhith, other senior government officials, and representatives of civil society and other partners.
The World Bank earlier announced close to half-a-billion dollars in grant-based support to help Bangladesh address the needs of Rohingya refugees in areas such as health, education, water and sanitation, disaster risk management, and social protection.
Reflecting the increasingly protracted nature of the Rohingya crisis, the World Bank Board of Directors approved a $50 million additional grant to an existing Health Sector Support Project in Bangladesh that is the first in a series that could total as much as $480 million.
The health-sector grant includes contributions based on an innovative partnership between the Government of Canada and the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries.
It will help the Rohingya receive maternal, neonatal, infant, child, and adolescent health and nutrition services, as well as reproductive health care and family planning support.
‘Bangladesh has shown great leadership in this evolving humanitarian crisis by providing refuge for the Rohingya people. This grant allows the World Bank Group, working in collaboration with the Government of Canada, to support these efforts,’ World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said in a statement on Thursday.
‘We are deeply moved by the suffering of the Rohingya people and stand ready to help them until they can return home in a safe, voluntary, and dignified manner. At the same time, we are also continuing to support the Bangladeshi people and the host communities, who have shown great generosity by welcoming these refugees.’
Since August last year, more than 700,000 Rohingya have taken shelter from violence in Myanmar in the Cox’s Bazar district, making it the world’s largest and fastest growing refugee camp, and putting pressure on the environment, existing infrastructure, and social services that were already constrained.