Humanitarian agencies working on the Rohingya refugee response today marked the completion of the first new area of land being prepared to relocate families most at risk of landslides when the monsoon hits. The work is part of a major joint initiative between IOM, UNHCR and WFP.

UNHCR and the Government of Bangladesh in Geneva finalised a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) relating to voluntary returns of Rohingya refugees once conditions in Myanmar are conducive.

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.

Heavy rains from 23-25 July 2018 triggered landslides and flooding throughout Cox’s Bazar district. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department recorded 463mm of rainfall in under 24 hours on 25 July—the second highest recorded rainfall in one day for the district. Nearly 60 incidents of landslides, winds, floods, and waterlogging reported in all settlements on 25-26 July 2018, with 445 shelters damaged.

UNHCR called on the international community to step up its support for some 900,000 stateless Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, the majority having fled in August 2017. UNHCR urged renewed international engagement and support for refugees and host communities in Bangladesh, in order to expand the response from day-to-day lifesaving operations to also address challenges such as education and self-reliance for the Rohingya refugees.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees urged governments and business leaders in the Asia-Pacific to show solidarity with refugees in the region and share responsibility for protecting and finding solutions for them. Addressing ministers of 26 countries at the Seventh Ministerial Conference of the Bali Process in Indonesia, he appealed for regional support for over 700,000 Rohingya refugees who fled to Bangladesh.

UNHCR hosted a gathering with political leaders from four continents, including Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Turkey and the World Bank at the UN General Assembly High Level Week in support of the global compact on refugees, a robust and systematic model to improve the lives of refugees and their host communities. The High Commissioner praised the role of host countries as first responders to refugee emergencies, like Bangladesh. The compact is expected to be endorsed in December 2018.

In a statement, UNHCR expresses its deep appreciation to and solidarity with Bangladesh for its generosity in continuing to host and support nearly one million Rohingya refugees on its territory and its continued commitment to protecting refugees’ right to safe, voluntary and dignified return to their homes in Myanmar. UNHCR appealed to Myanmar to exert all efforts to create conditions conducive for voluntary return and address the root causes of the refugees’ displacement, in line with the recommendations of the Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.

After spending two days visiting Cox's Bazar, Angelina Jolie, Special Envoy of UNHCR, met with Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, in which she expressed UNHCR’s gratitude to the people and Government of Bangladesh for their generosity in receiving Rohingya refugees. She reiterated UNHCR’s support for collective efforts to enable Rohingya refugees to live dignified lives in Bangladesh and the pursuit of lasting solutions.

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.