Deputy Executive Director (DED) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the World Food Programme (WFP) Carl Skau said WFP's funding will soon run out by the end of November, jeopardising food assistance for over one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
"They (the Rohingya) have nowhere else to turn. They cannot work, they cannot integrate, and they certainly cannot return to Rakhine given the security situation there now – they are 100% dependent on the assistance we provide," Carl Skau told UNB in an interview during his recent visit to Bangladesh.
"And we know from experience that when we withdraw or shrink our assistance, people are forced to turn to negative coping mechanisms," Skau warned.
"But our money is running out. We don't have the budget to continue our operation beyond the end of November," he added.
One of the reasons for his visit to Bangladesh was to meet with the government, partners, donors, and also with their teams on the ground, who he describes as "the lifeline".
"We are providing food for the entire population of the camp – on a monthly basis. And obviously, if we stop that, it would not only have a very negative impact on the humanitarian situation – people will be hungry and they would suffer – but also all kinds of other negative implications, including people having to leave the camps to try to find resources elsewhere," Skau said.
When asked what WFP plans to do to mitigate the dire situation, he said they are looking at many different ways to address the funding crisis for the Rohingyas and one of the ways is to try to diversify the funding base.
The United States has been very generous so far, covering almost 60% of the overall envelope, he said, adding that they need others to step forward.
"We're engaging many countries in the region, including the ASEAN countries, also in the Gulf – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Emirates – and members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and others," Skau said.
"The Rohingya are not responsible for this situation, and they should count on the support of the international community," he added.
WFP said that to avoid disruptions to its food and nutrition assistance for the Rohingya, it urgently requires US$60 million over the next six months, while its total requirement stands at US$167 million over the next 12 months.
The agency calls on all partners to urgently mobilise additional resources to prevent a worsening of the humanitarian situation in the camps.
WFP first established its country office in Bangladesh in 1974, and today it is one of the organisation's largest operations globally, with an annual budget requirement of over US$300 million.
This covers emergency responses – including support for Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi communities affected by floods or cyclones – as well as development support.
Skau said they look forward to participating and supporting the high-level conference on the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar to be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on 30 September.
He noted that there is currently intense competition for both attention and resources, citing crises in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan, among others, and added that the bandwidth in the capitals of partner countries remains limited.
"So, we need to work together with the government to knock doors and make sure that Bangladesh and the Rohingya situation remain high on the agenda and hence also attract the resources that are necessary," Skau added, noting that they will do their part to support.
"But I also want to manage expectations - because it is a difficult environment and overall WFP funding globally has shrunk by 40%.....across the countries, we are doing dramatic cuts to our programmes," Skau said.
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