Ideas to Action:
Independent research for global prosperity
In announcing that refugees will be able to open bank accounts and participate in the formal economy, Imran Khan’s government has taken an important first step towards ensuring that refugees can access the formal labor market in Pakistan. Here we outline how to ensure the potential benefits are realized.
In refugee and other crisis contexts, women and girls are disproportionately affected by limited access to essential services, including health care. There is a clear need for provision and access to consistent, reliable, and effective sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, which save lives and promote resilience in humanitarian contexts. Here are some questions that the government of Bangladesh and international partners should consider when looking to expand access to quality SRH services for Rohingya refugees and host communities.
The Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh continues to grip the region and—particularly with heightened risks during monsoon season—international headlines. There have been important steps toward a comprehensive solution that recognizes the reality of protracted displacement—but additional commitments and coordinated policy dialogue are needed. And regional partners will be key to the ultimate success of these efforts.
Bangladesh is hosting nearly one million Rohingya refugees—mostly crowded into in one of the country’s less-developed areas, Cox’s Bazar. A minority population in Myanmar, stripped of citizenship in the 1980s, the Rohingya have been denied access to education, meaningful livelihoods, and other basic rights for years. Now as refugees in Bangladesh, Rohingya need protection and support to secure health services, safety, food, education, and other opportunities.
Bangladesh and its partners should explore the compact model and consider the inclusion of three ideas that would yield the level of ambition necessary to generate a sustainable response: European Union trade concessions, migrant worker opportunities, and partnership with China and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
Given the rate and scale of the unfolding crisis in Myanmar, the international community is rightly focused on emergency humanitarian measures. But it is also imperative for international actors to move quickly to develop complementary solutions that can improve the situation both now and in the longer-term. Here are three key elements of such a package for Bangladesh.
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