UNICEF chief meets CA, discusses Rohingya education in camps

NN ONLINE:

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell met Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Monday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly at a hotel here.

Their discussion focused on the ongoing Rohingya crisis, particularly the severe funding shortfall affecting humanitarian operations for the over one million Rohingyas currently sheltered in Bangladesh. A key concern was the impact of these funding cuts on education services for Rohingya children in the camps.

Describing the donor funding cuts as a serious challenge, Prof Yunus said they had already forced the closure of schools and resulted in job losses for thousands of Rohingya teachers. “This is a disaster. Education in the camps provided a glimmer of hope for hundreds of thousands of Rohingya children. Our concern is for these children, who are growing up as angry young people—and that anger could erupt in unpredictable ways,” Prof Yunus said.

UNICEF Executive Director Russell painted a grim picture of the global funding climate, noting that even traditionally generous European nations are reducing their humanitarian contributions to agencies such as UNICEF. She urged the Bangladeshi government to introduce skills training for Rohingya youths so they could eventually apply those skills upon returning to their homeland.

UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Ted Chaiban, who also attended the meeting, emphasised the positive impact that education has already had in the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar.”The level of education among Rohingya children has increased significantly,” he noted.

The meeting also addressed the High-Level Rohingya Conference at the UN headquarters on Tuesday. Prof Yunus urged UNICEF to use the occasion to advocate strongly for the continuation and expansion of education initiatives in the camps.

Tasnim Jara, senior leader of the National Coordination Platform (NCP), and Lamiya Morshed, SDG Coordinator and Senior Secretary, were present at the meeting, among others.