WB denies recommending on Rohingya integration

World Bank on Tuesday denied making any specific recommendations for Bangladesh in its Refugee Policy Review against the backdrop of comments made by Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen.

In statement posted on its website, the multinational lender said it was helping Bangladesh address the needs of the displaced Rohingya population until their safe and voluntarily return to Myanmar.

The World Bank is also supporting Bangladesh to minimise the impact of the influx on the host communities, the Washington-based lender said.

Momen told reporters in Dhaka that the government took a very strong stance against the idea floated by the World Bank that apparently suggested an integration of Rohingyas into Bangladesh giving them all the rights like Bangladesh citizens.

The minister said integration of Rohingyas in Bangladesh is not the solution but they will have a better future only when they are repatriated.

The World Bank in its statement said its review did not make any country-specific recommendations and said the review was done by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) following the Refugee Policy Review Framework.

“UNHCR collected baseline information on the existing policies, practices, and programmes,” it said.

The World Bank added that it has committed $590 million for Bangladesh to address the health, informal education, safety net, water and sanitation, and basic infrastructure, including climate resilient roads, solar street lights, and disaster preparedness needs of both the displaced Rohingya and host communities in Cox’s Bazar.

The entire $590 million financing is on grant terms, not a credit, it said.

“The Refugee Policy Review aims to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the World Bank financing for the refugee and host communities.

This review has been done in each of the 14 World Bank member countries that are currently hosting displaced population.