ADB approves $86.7m aid for Rohingyas, host communities

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $86.7 million in fresh assistance—including a $58.6 million grant from the Asian Development Fund (ADF) and a $28.1 million concessional loan—to support displaced people from Myanmar and host communities in Bangladesh.

The funding will support the Integrated Services and Livelihood for Displaced People from Myanmar and Host Communities Improvement Project, aiming to improve access to water, sanitation, roads, safety infrastructure, food security, and disaster resilience in both Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char.

The initiative includes a differentiated approach to meet the specific needs of displaced people and host populations. It also seeks to strengthen the government’s capacity in project management and service delivery.

ADB Country Director for Bangladesh, Hoe Yun Jeong, stated that the new support builds on earlier assistance totalling $171.4 million, provided under the Emergency Assistance Project since 2018.

In the camps, solar-powered streetlights will be installed in Cox’s Bazar, while the existing fecal sludge management system will be upgraded in Bhasan Char, including optimised biogas production for cooking. Drainage canals will be rehabilitated using nature-based solutions, and food distribution centres will be constructed with inclusive access for women, children, and persons with disabilities.

In host communities, cyclone shelters doubling as schools will be built in Hatia, and mini piped water supply systems will be installed across nine upazilas in Cox’s Bazar. A surface water treatment plant in Palongkhali Union, Ukhia, and a transmission pipeline to Teknaf will also be established. Road improvements are planned to enhance mobility in both Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char.

Over one million displaced Rohingyas—about 75% of them women and children—are currently living in 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar, while more than 36,000 have been relocated to Bhasan Char in Noakhali district.