Bangladesh: Migrant Camps

(asked on 9th July 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has to continue providing essential medical and humanitarian services in (a) Cox's Bazar and (b) Dhaka.


Answered by
Nigel Adams Portrait
Nigel Adams
This question was answered on 14th July 2020

The UK has major health and humanitarian programmes in Cox’s Bazar and across Bangladesh, including in Dhaka. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of essential health and humanitarian services. UK Aid has re-prioritised activities to tackle the immediate health impacts and the broader socio-economic effects on the poorest and most vulnerable. This includes the Rohingya refugees and surrounding communities in Cox’s Bazar, where the UK has committed £256 million since 2017. Rapid humanitarian responses will remain a priority given Bangladesh’s vulnerability to climate and man-made disasters. Any increases will depend on the outcome of the current ODA reprioritisation review.

The UK has allocated £21 million so far to support the priorities set out in the Government of Bangladesh's Preparedness and Response plan. This includes more than £7 million to support national health systems and £3 million through UNDP to reach more than 2 million of the poorest people. More than £11 million has been allocated to existing UN and NGO partners to prepare for COVID-19 and maintain critical humanitarian services in the Rohingya refugee camps.

DFID and Unilever are collaborating on a mass global handwashing campaign, which will run across TV, radio, print and social media to help change people’s behaviour in countries across Africa and Asia, including Bangladesh.

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