At a time when the global community is scaling back its support, Bangladesh has taken a bold and timely initiative by launching a Tk 652.55 crore project to improve basic services for Rohingyas and their host communities. Titled ‘Integrated Services and Livelihood Development of Displaced Populations and Local Communities,’ this comprehensive development effort is not only a practical response to a mounting humanitarian challenge but also a statement of leadership in an increasingly indifferent world.
The new project will run from July 2025 to June 2028 in 12 upazilas in the two districts with the largest inflow of Rohingyas – Cox’s Bazar and Noakhali. It promises basic improvements in water supply, sanitation, waste disposal, transportation, disaster preparedness and food security for both the displaced Rohingyas and the communities that have sheltered them since 2017.
Over a million Rohingyas currently living in 33 camps in Cox’s Bazar and another 36,000 who were moved to Bhasan Char, a remote island settlement. Since a mass exodus from Myanmar after the 2017 military crackdown, Bangladesh has been hosting this stateless population pretty much alone. And while early global assistance was substantial, the response dropped significantly over time.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned of an ‘untenable’ funding shortfall as core services for Rohingyas in Bangladesh also look set to be cut. In the last year and a half alone, another 150,000 Rohingyas has poured into Bangladesh, but aid has not kept up. Reductions in assistance for food, education and medical care have made this already vulnerable population more vulnerable.
Not only does this situation defy humanitarian norms, but also endangers regional stability. Insufficient support for Rohingyas as well as their host communities can lead to bitterness, economic deprivation and social tension. In this light, Bangladesh’s determination to move forward with a large development project evidences a project that deserve both praise and support.
The newly endorsed project represents a transition from short-term humanitarian response to a more long-term integrated development approach. It is jointly funded by the Government of Bangladesh (Tk 112.78 crore) and the ADB, which is financing Tk 539.77 crore in the form of grants and concessional loans. This will include a $58.6 million grant from the Asian Development Fund to be signed on 24 June 2025 and a $28.1 million concessional loan.
The initiative aims to address immediate needs and at the same time reinforce local systems and infrastructure. Among its notable components:
Construction of a surface water treatment plant in Palongkhali Union, Ukhia and pipelines providing treated water to water-deficit Teknaf as the first package. A total of nine upazilas under the Cox’s Bazar district will have mini piped water supply systems established.
Secondly, development of FSMs in Bhasan Char, rehabilitation of sanitation and biogas cooking.
Thirdly, improvements to the roads, bridges and drains and the installation or renewal of solar-powered streetlights in Cox’s Bazar camps.
Fourthly, there were schools doubling up as cyclone shelters, schools that also serve as cyclone shelters in Hatia focusing on dual utility during emergency as well as non-emergency time.
Fifthly, nature-based drainage systems, disaster-safe infrastructure, and food distribution centers designed with accessibility for women, children, and people with disabilities.
These interventions are strategically tailored to be responsive to the simultaneous needs of the displaced and host populations. It is central to social cohesion and fairness.
The host communities of Cox’s Bazar and Noakhali deserve immense praise for their extraordinary generosity in hosting the Rohingyas. But their patience and budgets are wearing thin. Local infrastructure, markets, health systems and the environment have been placed under tremendous strain. Through direct investment in water, education, transport and disaster resilience, agent of change project tackles a historic gap in the refugee response by addressing these needs.
Worldwide, refugee aid programmes typically target only the displaced, but Bangladesh’s way is a model of inclusive development. By connecting refugee and host benefits, the project yields shared value and minimises the risk of social disintegration.
The project also seeks to develop the government’s institutional capacity to plan, implement and oversee large infrastructure and humanitarian programmes. This is a vital move toward ownership and sustainability even as international assistance grows more erratic.
It is not the first time Bangladesh has been ahead of the curve. In 2018, with ADB assistance, the government started the Emergency Assistance Project in Cox’s Bazar and water, sanitation and shelter were the focus. That project laid important groundwork — solar-powered reservoirs, toilets, integrated crisis-management systems.
The fresh project expands on those lessons. It has a greater focus on nature-based solutions, gender inclusion and climate resilience in line with international best practices. Rehabilitation of canals for drainage incorporating natural drain technology is well-timed given increasing occurrence of extreme weather and their adverse effect.
Bangladesh’s leadership is deserving of praise, but it too should not be mistaken with limitless capacity. The country is paying economic, environmental and political costs for providing shelter to more than a million refugees for almost a decade. The Rohingya crisis is not just a Bangladeshi issue — it is the world’s challenge.
Let’s not forget, the crisis started with the systematic persecution in Myanmar and all the way through, and the only long-term solution is repatriation in safety and dignity. But too little has been done by the international community itself to mitigate the root causes, nor has it shared the burden equitably.
This project is a wake-up call for the world. If a developing country such as Bangladesh may take the lead with such a generous heart and commitment, it is incumbent upon developed countries and international donors to reciprocate with support, technical expertise and diplomatic pressure on Myanmar.
By rolling out the Tk 652.55 crore integrated development project, Bangladesh has yet again shown what moral leadership in a broken world looks like. This is not simply an infrastructure upgrade — it is a declaration of human dignity, a demand for justice and an example of collective progress in an age of protracted crisis.
Yet success will depend on effective implementation, continued international cooperation and a real will to peace. It also depends upon us — the global community — not to avert our gaze.
If the world does not respond, it will be Bangladesh’s responsibility alone. But if we stand together — in funding, in policy and in compassion — this venture may be more than simply a relief project. It can be a model for responsible humanitarian leadership in the 21st century.
Raj Kiron Das, Editorial Assistant at Bangladesh Post and Founder of the Equal Rights Organisation (ERO), can be contacted at
ragbirajmcjru@gmail.com.
