Donors Losing Interest in Providing Food for Rohingya Muslim Refugees: WFP
The WFP executive director came up with the information during a meeting with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday.
Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque briefed reporters after the meeting.
He said the WFP is playing a leading role in feeding one million displaced Myanmar Rohingya Muslims living in Bangladesh and mentioned that they have distributed food data-x-items worth USD 80 million among the Rohingya in last six months.
As per the WFP assessment, he said, some USD 20-25 million is needed to feed the Rohingya a month.
"He (Beasley) informed the prime minister that the interest of the donor agencies to feed the Rohingya is decreasing and the WFP is trying to keep alive this interest among the donor agencies under the UN system. But it's very difficult for them to keep it up," Shahidul Haque said.
The WFP executive director also expressed concern over the possibility of mudslide in the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar during monsoon.
"He noticed the matter (mudslide) to the prime minister. Our prime minister said that some Rohingyas will be shifted temporarily to Bhasan Char (an island under Noakhali district) if needed," the foreign secretary said.
David Beasley said the WFP thinks that the international community will take steps against the atrocities that took place against the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state of Myanmar.
During the meeting, Sheikh Hasina focused on her five-point proposal she placed in the last UN general assembly for solving the Rohingya crisis permanently.
"She (Hasina) said a bilateral agreement has been made. She requested the international community to continue their pressure on Myanmar for the successful implementation of the agreement," Shahidul said.
Now the WFP is implementing 13 projects in Bangladesh worth about USD 343 million for the 2017-2020 period.
Source: The Daily Star
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