Multi-stakeholder Pledge: Rohingya Refugees - Expanded Resilience, Enhanced Solutions
Multi-stakeholder Pledge: Rohingya Refugees - Expanded Resilience, Enhanced Solutions
Key outcomes
The Rohingya refugees multi-stakeholder pledge aims to ease the pressure on host countries through enhancing resilience and expanding solutions for Rohingya refugees. The pledge creates opportunities for stakeholders to leverage their collective strengths to advance resilience through supporting self-reliance initiatives, access to education and climate action, and to expand solutions by supporting the creation of conditions for sustainable return and third country solutions, such as resettlement or complementary pathways. Pledges that are technical, financial, advocacy-based, or policy-based are envisaged.
Background
There are more than 1 million Rohingya refugees living in the Asia and Pacific region. Most live in Bangladesh, home to the world’s largest and most densely populated refugee settlement. Amidst the pressures of competing global crises, and dwindling humanitarian resources, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand have continued to generously host Rohingya refugees. In the absence of a regional response mechanism, Malaysia hosts over 150,000 asylum-seekers and refugees, the vast majority of whom are Rohingya and Indonesia has stepped in to disembark 10 boatloads of 1,137 Rohingya refugees since December 2021. New initiatives to create third country solutions for Rohingya hosted in the region are being developed. Opportunities to support Rohingya refugees in achieving greater self-reliance and resilience and prepare them for sustainable reintegration when they return home, are being implemented with an incremental expansion of education, portable skills development and livelihoods activities.
These initiatives must be scaled up. With limited opportunities to develop self-reliance and lacking prospects for sustainable solutions, Rohingya refugees are risking their lives in search of solutions. In 2022, the region witnessed a 360 per cent increase in maritime movements compared to the previous year. A paradigm shift is however needed, in collaboration with Rohingya communities, to transform the Rohingya response into comprehensive and coordinated action towards achieving sustainable solutions and resilience.
Pledge description
The Global Refugee Forum offers a unique opportunity to put a spotlight on the situation of Rohingya refugees, the imperative to work towards solutions, and sustain the support offered by host countries in the region. At the Forum, stakeholders can demonstrate their commitment in support of a multi-actor pledge that expands solutions and enhances collective resilience, including through climate action and, as such, contributing to peaceful coexistence. Key elements of this pledge will also contribute to the protection of Rohingya refugees along the South-East Asia onward movement route. By combining collective strengths and expertise, this multi-stakeholder pledge has the potential to be truly transformational.
Beyond the region, offers of resettlement and complementary pathways are an integral element of an expanding package of solutions, notably for the most vulnerable refugees and for those with little or no prospect of future return to Myanmar. An increasing number of States in and beyond the region are willing to offer resettlement or complementary pathways through access to higher education opportunities, labour mobility, family reunification and private or community sponsorship; the latter also includes Rohingya diaspora.
Post GRF 2023 follow-up | April 2024
Summary
In the leadup to the Global Refugee Forum 2023, a multi-stakeholder pledge targeting the Rohingya situation was launched to bring stakeholders together to reaffirm their commitment to displaced Rohingya and the countries hosting them. Entitled Rohingya Refugees – Expanded Resilience, Enhanced Solutions, the pledge sought to engage member states, the private sector, non-governmental actors and others to announce advocacy-focused, technical and/or financial pledges in a variety areas including, creating conditions conducive for return, third country solutions, basic needs, self-reliance, and climate resilience. A High-Level Parallel Event took place on 14 December which showcased a whole-of-society commitment to displaced Rohingya and host countries through the interventions and pledges announced by panellists and speakers from the floor.
As of 18 April 2024, a total of 44 pledges have been announced by 26 different actors. They are: Amnesty International Australia, Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN), BRAC, Centre for Research and Information, Euglena Co., Ltd./Grameen Euglena, European Union, Fast Retailing Co., LTD, Governments of Australia, Canada, Japan, the Philippines, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America, INGOs in Bangladesh, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), PORTICUS, Qatar Red Crescent Society, SEG – Strategic Executive Group Bangladesh (SEG), Sony Group Corporation, TheCivilSocietyHUB, UNCT Indonesia, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Pledges support both resilience and solutions, with resilience-focused pledges designed to contribute to sustainable solutions for refugees and ease the pressure on members of the host community. Collectively, the commitments made towards the Rohingya Multi-Stakeholder Pledge (Rohingya MSP) address all four objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees and have the potential to be truly transformational.
By 2027, through these pledges, we expect to see1:
- Increase in access to livelihoods opportunities for Rohingya refugees and members of hosting communities
- Enhanced access to formal and informal education
- Climate resilience improved for both Rohingya and host communities
- Increased avenues for third country solutions for displaced Rohingya
- Increased number of Rohingya resettled to third countries
- Access to protection services strengthened
- Increased advocacy and mobilization towards improving conditions in Myanmar, as condition for voluntary, safe and sustainable return.
Key statistics2
- 44 pledges registered
- 26 submitting entities
- Pledges were made by: 9 NGOs/CSOs; 9 Member States; 4 Private Sector Actors; 2 UN bodies; 1 International Organization; 1 Other
- Over US $250 million pledged3
- Displaced Rohingya and host communities supported in six countries
- Nearly 50% of pledges include components that directly support host communities
Sample of Pledges
The Rohingya MSP benefited from pledges that were complementary with one another within a given thematic area. Together, they leverage the collective strengths of pledge-makers to advance the common goal of expanding resilience and enhancing solutions for Rohingya refugees.
The table provides a brief overview of the types of pledges made by thematic area and actors4:
| Thematic area | Pledge makers | Types of pledges | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resilience – Climate | BRAC, Canada, EU, IRC, Strategic Executive Group (SEG) Bangladesh, Sweden, Switzerland, UNDP | Financial, technical | Resilience of Rohingya refugees and host communities to withstand / adapt to the impact of climate change strengthened |
| Resilience – Basic Needs (e.g. health, education, WASH, etc) | Australia, BRAC, Canada, European Union, INGOs in Bangladesh, IRC, Japan, JRS, Porticus, Qatar Red Crescent Society, Sony Group Corporation, United Kingdom, UNCT Indonesia, UNDP | Financial, technical, advocacy | Displaced Rohingya and host community’s access to basic needs strengthened |
| Resilience – Livelihoods and skill development | BRAC, Canada, Euglena Co., Ltd./Grameen Euglena, Fast Retailing, IRC, Japan, JRS, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, UNCT Indonesia | Financial, technical, advocacy | Self-reliance of Rohingya refugees and members of the host community improved |
| Solutions – return | Canada, European Union, INGOs in Bangladesh, Japan, Jesuit Refugee Services, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom | Advocacy, financial support | Creating conditions conducive for return supported |
| Solutions – third country solutions | Amnesty International Australia, Australia, International Rescue Committee, Philippines, United States | Advocacy, resettlement, labour mobility, education mobility | Resettlement, labour mobility and education mobility of Rohingya increased Member states offering resettlement or labour mobility of Rohingya increased |
Follow-up arrangements
The Rohingya MSP represents one component of a broader strategy currently under development that focuses on resilience and solutions for displaced Rohingya. The pledge, its implementation modalities and oversight will be mainstreamed into this strategy and already existing structures at the country, regional and global levels. This is to ensure efficiency and mitigate the potential for duplication.
Broadly speaking, UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for Asia-Pacific will maintain the oversight and management of the Rohingya MSP. It will coordinate implementation at the regional and global level, track progress of deliverables and organize meetings and events on the Rohingya situation, including the Rohingya MSP.
UNHCR operations in the region will coordinate the implementation of pledges in their respective country. In this respect, it will work with pledge-makers and host governments to develop implementation modalities and ensure they align to existing coordination and implementation structures.
Footnotes
- Sample of outcomes; this does not cover all pledges
- All statistics are as of 23 January 2024
- Some pledges do not specify whether financial commitments are additional to contributions already made. In addition, some pledges reference financial support but do not provide a specific figure
- Other thematic areas of pledges include: protection, access to legal assistance, justice, peaceful coexistence, and localization
Leadership
- Member States, private sector actors, other interested stakeholders and partners
Supported by UNHCR
Members
- Government of the United States of America
Contact details
UNHCR Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific - [email protected]
Calendar
- 17 October 2023 – High-level Meeting on Rohingya refugees