On Thursday, a United Nations spokesperson announced that the UN has released 3 million U.S. dollars for emergency relief efforts in response to tropical cyclone Mocha, which has severely affected the southeastern region of Bangladesh.
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According to Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, UN Undersecretary-General emergency and relief coordinator Martin Griffiths authorized the allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund after the devastation caused by the storm last month in the camps for 40,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and their host communities.
“With this emergency funding, humanitarian partners will focus on shelter support, infrastructure repair, debris clearance and the replenishment of relief items,” Dujarric said in a regular briefing.
According to a statement, as of May 18, 145 people had been found dead (4 soldiers, 24 locals and 117 members of the Rohingya Muslim minority) and around 200,000 constructions of all sort were damaged or destroyed.
Dujarric also spoke about the consequences that come along when the world body’s agencies exhaust their financial resources to provide monthly allocations for individuals.
“The World Food Programme (WFP) has been forced to reduce the value of food vouchers to Rohingya refugees from 10 U.S. dollars to 8 dollars (per person) per month,” he said, adding, “That’s less than 9 cents per meal. This is the second time the WFP has had to cut rations in just three months in that particular area.”
According to Dujarric, in March, due to a funding crisis, the food vouchers went from 12 dollars to 10 dollars per person per month, stating, “This is yet another example of what happens when there is no money,” he said. “In this case, that’s nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees who remain completely dependent on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs, including food.”
According to Dujarric, the WFP is currently seeking urgent financial support for $50 million in order to reinstate food assistance at a rate of $12 per person on a monthly basis.
“Anything below that value will have dire consequences, not only on nutrition for women and children, but also education, protection, and safety and security for everyone in the camps,” he said.
“All of us, and especially the UN country team in Bangladesh, is very concerned about this particular crisis,” Dujarric stated.
