UN delegation on 4-day Bhashan Char tour for needs-assessment of Rohingyas.
A UN delegation today began a four-day tour to Bhashan Char for a needs assessment before starting the humanitarian assistance program for the Rohingyas on the island.
The joint needs-assessment delegation, comprising officials of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the World Food Program (WFP), is expected to assess the needs of over 18,000 Rohingyas currently living in Bhashan Char at Hatia of Noakhali.
The development comes following the memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed on October 9, between the Ministry of Relief and Disaster Management and the UNHCR, to establish a common protection and policy framework for the humanitarian response for Rohingyas in Bhashan Char.
"This will also help them assess what will be the needs of the one lakh Rohingyas once they are relocated to Bhashan Char from Cox's Bazar," a UN official told The Daily Star.
During the four-day visit, the UN delegates are also set to assess the logistical needs of the UN and other international agencies once they begin their operations in Bhashan Char.
About a million Rohingyas live in Cox's Bazar camps after more than 7 lakh fled a military crackdown in the Rakhine State of Myanmar in 2017.
The government has planned to relocate one lakh Rohingyas to Bhashan Char but could so far relocate only about 18,000 since December last year and plans to relocate over 80,000 in the next four months.
Since the relocation, local NGOs and government have been providing humanitarian assistance, and the government had been seeking global support.
"Now that the MoU has been signed, the different UN agencies - UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF and IOM - will be assessing what they need to do. Then, they will begin their operations on the ground," said the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner. RRRC) Shah Rezwan Hayat.
Regarding the UN mission's visit, Commodore M Rashed Sattar, project director of Ashrayan-3 Project (Bhashan Char), said the UN agencies will also assess the needs of their own, including accommodation, security, transport, food, internet, etc as they will be starting operations soon.
They will also see the activities being conducted by the local NGOs.
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