UNHCR, in cooperation with TAI, has trained some 68 COMs, including 25 women, on SGBV identification, prevention and response in two areas of Kutupalong and in Nayapara’s makeshift settlement. More COMs will receive the same training in two other areas of Kutupalong in the coming week. In coordination with UNFPA, UNHCR, together with the Camp in Charges (CiCs) of six areas of Kutupalong settlement, including the makeshift, is developing a cohesive SGBV referral pathway that will assist SGBV survivors to safely reach professionals and institutions who are qualified to address their needs.

UNHCR teams continue to conduct protection monitoring and to identify protection incidents in settlements, facilitated by the use of complaint boxes and a hotline service that is open seven days a week. This week, UNHCR received almost 40 calls through the hotline, related to issues of family disputes, medical assistance, and violence. A tracking incidents system has been established and since the launch of the hotline on 3 January and 20 January, some 63 calls were referred to the appropriate services.

Nobel Peace laureates Mairead Maguire of Northern Ireland, Tawakkol Karman of Yemen, and Iran’s Shireen Ebadi visited refugee settlements in Bangladesh to raise awareness about the plight of Rohingya refugees. The laureates’ visit took place as part of the Nobel Women’s Initiative.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees undertook his 2nd visit to Bangladesh from 1-3 July. He accompanied the first visit of the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres with World Bank President Dr. Jim Yong Kim. The Executive Director of UNFPA, Natalia Kanem, also accompanied the mission. The World Bank announced $480 million in grant aid for the refugee response.

Humanitarian agencies working on the Rohingya refugee response today marked the completion of the first new area of land being prepared to relocate families most at risk of landslides when the monsoon hits. The work is part of a major joint initiative between IOM, UNHCR and WFP.

UNHCR hosted a gathering with political leaders from four continents, including Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Turkey and the World Bank at the UN General Assembly High Level Week in support of the global compact on refugees, a robust and systematic model to improve the lives of refugees and their host communities. The High Commissioner praised the role of host countries as first responders to refugee emergencies, like Bangladesh. The compact is expected to be endorsed in December 2018.

In a statement, UNHCR expresses its deep appreciation to and solidarity with Bangladesh for its generosity in continuing to host and support nearly one million Rohingya refugees on its territory and its continued commitment to protecting refugees’ right to safe, voluntary and dignified return to their homes in Myanmar. UNHCR appealed to Myanmar to exert all efforts to create conditions conducive for voluntary return and address the root causes of the refugees’ displacement, in line with the recommendations of the Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.

Kelly T. Clements, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, concluded a four-day visit to Bangladesh. While in Cox’s Bazar, she met with local officials to discuss the ongoing operational response and opportunities to further aid Bangladeshi communities generously hosting refugees.

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.

UNHCR identified sites to build five additional health centres, as planned in its emergency response plan. Two centres are under construction and already providing some services, such as outpatient and maternity services. The five health centres will benefit approximately 50,000 patients each, thus covering a total 250,000 refugees.