Staff Reporter:
A high-level delegation from The Nippon Foundation and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) of Japan, now visiting Bangladesh, yesterday met with the State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief M. Iqbal Hossain at his Secretariat office yesterday.
The delegation was led by Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed the present situation of the Rohingyas living in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char, their ongoing humanitarian assistance programs and the growing interna-tional funding crisis.
The meeting noted that declining foreign humanitarian assistance and funding has made it in-creasingly difficult to maintain essential services for the Rohingyas including their food and nutri-tion, healthcare, water and sanitation, protection, shelter and other emergency humanitarian ac-tivities.
Against this backdrop, the participants stressed the need for continued, adequate and long-term foreign funding to ensure the basic humanitarian needs of the Rohingyas.
The Bangladeshi side particularly called for stronger cooperation from The Nippon Foundation and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation to sustain humanitarian assistance programs for the Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char and to help address the funding shortfall.
The meeting also stressed that a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis lies in their rapid, safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable repatriation to their place of origin.
The delegation has urged to continue providing necessary cooperation and support at the interna-tional level toward this goal.
The visiting delegation expressed its commitment to continue support for ongoing programs for the Rohingyas and hoped to expand the areas of cooperation in the future.
The meeting also underscored the importance of strengthening coordination and effective partner-ships among the Bangladesh government, foreign donors and development partners to address the Rohingya crisis.
Disaster Management and Relief Secretary Md. Saiful Islam was present at the meeting.
Members of the Japanese delegation included Horinawa, Director, Center for Mediation Support, Sasakawa Peace Foundation and Shota Nakayasu, Secretary to the honorary Chair and General Manager, The Nippon Foundation.
