UNFPA and Switzerland join forces to empower women and youth, strengthening resilience and inclusion in Rohingya Refugee Camps and Host Communities
DHAKA, 1 December 2024 – "Empowering women and youth is not just a humanitarian imperative; it supports their resilience, dignity and hope for their future. This is critical as both Rohingya refugees and the host community cope with this protracted protection crisis," said Masaki Watabe, Representative a.i. of UNFPA Bangladesh, at the launch of a groundbreaking partnership between the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Switzerland.
The initiative, named "Rising Together," seeks to build resilient and inclusive communities by equipping women and youth with the tools to thrive, innovate, and lead. With a generous contribution of over USD 2.2 million, Switzerland has partnered with UNFPA to deliver crucial support to adolescents, youth, and women in Rohingya refugee camps and the host communities in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char.
"This partnership underscores the Swiss commitment to advancing the rights of women and girls," stated Corinne Henchoz Pignani, Chargée d’affaires a.i, Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh. "Through life-skills training, educational sessions, and integrated sexual and reproductive health services, this initiative will empower women and adolescents to build brighter futures."
The Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh has reached a critical juncture, as escalating violence in Myanmar and diminishing humanitarian funding have intensified the challenges faced by women, adolescents, youth and other vulnerable groups. Women and girls constitute 51% of the refugee population, while adolescents and youth make up 34%, highlighting the importance of urgently focusing on the needs of these groups.
The crisis has posed unique challenges for women and youth, including gender-based violence (GBV), child marriage, adolescent pregnancy, and other issues such as risk of abduction, trafficking and forced recruitment. Among Rohingya communities, one in ten girls is married before the age of 18, a figure that rises to one in three in host communities. These inter-connected and compounding protection concerns demand not just immediate relief but a transformative approach that addresses the root causes of their vulnerability.
The "Rising Together" initiative aims to tackle these challenges head-on. The programme priorities on preventing and responding to GBV, expanding access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, fostering positive youth development and leadership, and providing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS).
Targeting nearly 100,000 individuals, the initiative focuses on 64,000 women and adolescent girls both in refugee and host communities providing GBV prevention and response services, referrals, and life skills training. Additionally, 33,100 adolescents and youth will benefit from informal education, leadership programs, and positive youth development initiatives. These efforts are expected to create a positive impact on more than 130,000 people in the refugee and host communities. "In this crucial moment, we thank Switzerland for their timely and consistent support for UNFPA," said Masaki Watabe.
