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.

Over a quarter of a million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have now been jointly registered and provided with identity cards by the Bangladesh authorities and UNHCR.

UNHCR and other UN agencies worked around the clock to repair damage, temporarily relocate affected refugees, and activate disaster response plans following eight days of unrelenting rain and wind - the most severe weather since the massive Rohingya refugee influx of 2017. Between 4 and 12 July, 709mm of rain fell in parts of the Kutupalong refugee settlement, out of a July average of about 1040mm for Cox’s Bazar. A combination of landslides, floods and wind damaged or destroyed hundreds of structures and temporarily displaced thousands of refugees.

World Refugee Day was marked in Kutupalong refugee settlement. Refugees and UNHCR welcomed the participation of the U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh, H.E. Earl R. Miller, who participated in a walk to support a StepsWithRefugees campaign to highlight the plight of refugees worldwide who need to make often long and difficult journeys to reach safety each year. A Rohingya women's group arranged a photographic exhibition and refugee community groups led and organised games and events for the day, alongside many of the organisations working in the response.

Bangladesh: dozens of community volunteers in both camps are providing essential services to the newcomers and assisting with activities by UNHCR and partners. Volunteers are being managed to ensure a uniform presence in all blocks.

A UNHCR-chartered Boeing 777 flew in this morning with 91 metric tonnes of aid, including much needed shelter materials, jerry cans, blankets, sleeping mats and other essential items. The aid will be delivered to the refugee camps at Cox’s Bazar in south-eastern Bangladesh. A second flight donated by United Arab Emirates (UAE) is scheduled to land at 14:15 this afternoon local time, bringing in some 1,700 family tents.

With the support of UNHCR, the Bangladeshi authorities are building a road network to facilitate access to refugee settlements in Kutupalong. Construction started with a 5 km road to connect the settlements to the main road leading to Cox's Bazar.

UNHCR has delivered five humanitarian airlifts which were loaded with supplied such as tents, plastic sheets, sleeping mats, mosquito nets and kitchen sets. A sixth airlift is being scheduled.

UNHCR’s first diarrhoea treatment centre (20 beds) is now operational in Kutupalong. It was established in partnership with Gonoshathaya Kendra (GK) with the technical participation of Medical Teams International, under the Refugee Health Units. A second treatment centre should be operational by the end of the week in Nayapara. In total, UNHCR plans to open 4 to 6 diarrhoea treatment centres with a total capacity of 80 beds over the next six months.

The joint family counting exercise, led by the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) and supported by UNHCR, was launched in Balukhali. A joint team of around 114 staff is collecting information on families, including vulnerabilities and specific needs, and geo-localising them through a mobile device. Refugee families will receive an RRRC card to facilitate harmonized assistance delivery.