World Refugee Day was marked in Kutupalong refugee settlement. Refugees and UNHCR welcomed the participation of the U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh, H.E. Earl R. Miller, who participated in a walk to support a StepsWithRefugees campaign to highlight the plight of refugees worldwide who need to make often long and difficult journeys to reach safety each year. A Rohingya women's group arranged a photographic exhibition and refugee community groups led and organised games and events for the day, alongside many of the organisations working in the response.

With the support of UNHCR, the Bangladeshi authorities are building a road network to facilitate access to refugee settlements in Kutupalong. Construction started with a 5 km road to connect the settlements to the main road leading to Cox's Bazar.

United Nations aid agencies and NGO partners launched the 2019 Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis. The appeal seeks to raise US$920 million to meet the massive needs of more than 900,000 refugees from Myanmar and over 330,000 vulnerable Bangladeshis in host communities. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi called for timely, predictable and flexible contributions in order to meet the goals of this year’s appeal.

United Nations agencies and NGO partners today released the 2018 Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis, a US$951 million appeal to meet the urgent needs of nearly 900,000 Rohingya refugees and more than 330,000 vulnerable Bangladeshis in the communities hosting them.

UNHCR’s first diarrhoea treatment centre (20 beds) is now operational in Kutupalong. It was established in partnership with Gonoshathaya Kendra (GK) with the technical participation of Medical Teams International, under the Refugee Health Units. A second treatment centre should be operational by the end of the week in Nayapara. In total, UNHCR plans to open 4 to 6 diarrhoea treatment centres with a total capacity of 80 beds over the next six months.

UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, George Okoth-Obbo, visiting Bangladesh to see the agency’s ongoing response to the Rohingya refugee emergency and preparations ahead of the monsoon season.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is deeply saddened by reports of a new shipwreck in the Bay of Bengal this morning in which at least four Rohingya refugees died when their boat capsized close to the southern Bangladesh shore. Others who were injured have been taken to local hospitals for immediate treatment.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency has relocated some 1,700 new refugees to a government-allocated site in south-eastern Bangladesh, decongesting existing facilities in Kutupalong and giving them a home after weeks on the move.

UNHCR, in cooperation with TAI, has trained some 68 COMs, including 25 women, on SGBV identification, prevention and response in two areas of Kutupalong and in Nayapara’s makeshift settlement. More COMs will receive the same training in two other areas of Kutupalong in the coming week. In coordination with UNFPA, UNHCR, together with the Camp in Charges (CiCs) of six areas of Kutupalong settlement, including the makeshift, is developing a cohesive SGBV referral pathway that will assist SGBV survivors to safely reach professionals and institutions who are qualified to address their needs.

UNHCR teams continue to conduct protection monitoring and to identify protection incidents in settlements, facilitated by the use of complaint boxes and a hotline service that is open seven days a week. This week, UNHCR received almost 40 calls through the hotline, related to issues of family disputes, medical assistance, and violence. A tracking incidents system has been established and since the launch of the hotline on 3 January and 20 January, some 63 calls were referred to the appropriate services.