The UK’s Telegraph published an opinion piece by Director of Development Strategy and Governance (DSGD) Paul Dorosh and Nonesident Fellow in the Poverty, Health, and Nutrition Division (PHND) John Hoddinott on the status of Rohingya refugees almost two years after 671,000 fled violence and persecution in Myanmar. Dorosh and Hoddinott described the success of Bangladeshi and international efforts to avert a potential humanitarian disaster but emphasized persistent conditions of poverty and displacement—including child malnutrition, a heavy reliance on food assistance, lack of education—that require long-term solutions. The authors proposed options including relaxing restrictions on Rohingya refugees’ ability to work outside camps, as well as World Bank loans and trade concessions to Bangladesh that would help assuage concerns over absorbing the Rohingya into the local labor force.
The Rohingya in Bangladesh are surviving – but their long-term prospects are grim (The Telegraph)
June 25, 2019