ADB Alots $86M for Bangladesh Refugee Camps’ Improvement

World Vision has highlighted the plight of displaced individuals from Myanmar who are seeking asylum in Bangladesh. Since 2017, nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees have arrived in Bangladesh.

UNICEF reports that of the over 960,000 Rohingya refugees, approximately half, or more than 499,000, are children. The majority of these refugees currently reside in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, which is recognised as the largest refugee settlement in the world.

The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority group that has historically resided in northern Rakhine State in Myanmar, which shares borders with Bangladesh and India. The Rohingya people are not recognised as people in Myanmar, nor are they eligible for citizenship since 1982; their status, having no legal right or protection, is a source of immense vulnerabilities for them.

These vulnerabilities include violence and discrimination in Myanmar. The armed conflict in August 2017 in Rakhine State caused them to flee to nearby Bangladesh, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres describing the situation as “the world’s fastest-developing refugee emergency and a humanitarian and human rights nightmare.”

Unfortunately, the Rohingya people who are seeking safety and shelter in the Kutupalong refugee camp are faced with harsh realities there. The refugee camp has poor and unsanitary living conditions – overcrowding, insufficient space, scarce clean water, inadequate access to healthcare, and overall lack of basic services plague the camp.  Refugees are at high risk of contracting diseases, malnutrition, and even exploitation, with women, children, and people with disabilities being most vulnerable.

In addition to these dire living conditions, the locations of these refugee camps in Bangladesh are among the most disaster–prone countries in the world. From April to November, heavy monsoon rains make life more perilous for refugees in the overcrowded camps.

UN Bangladesh reported that in early June this year, the torrential rains at the start of the monsoon season had hit the crowded refugee camps and damaged thousands of shelters. In just two days of rain, there were over 53 landslides reported across the 33 camps, damaging over 1,400 homes in combination with floods and strong winds.

Tragically, one refugee was killed as a wall collapsed, while lightning strikes reportedly injured eleven, the organisation reports. It adds that the lack of critical funding threatens the humanitarian efforts to meet the urgent needs of the Rohingya refugees.

Recognising the harrowing conditions of Bangladesh’s Kutupalong refugee camp, the Asian Development Bank, on 24 June 2025,  approved a $58.6 million grant from the Asian Development Fund (ADF) and a $28.1 million concessional loan to provide basic infrastructure and critical services for displaced people from Myanmar (DPFM) and host communities in Bangladesh.

According to ADB, the Integrated Services and Livelihood for Displaced People from Myanmar and Host Communities Improvement Project will “enhance and expand access to water, sanitation, and hygiene; roads and bridges; safety and security; drainage systems; food security; and disaster resilience. A differentiated approach will be applied to address the specific needs of both DPFM and host communities in the Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char areas.”

It also added that the project will “enhance connectivity and access to essential services, while strengthening government capacity to manage and implement projects.”

As climate change effects worsen and the situation in Bangladesh’s refugee camps deteriorates due to inadequate infrastructure and basic services, Myanmar’s refugees fleeing violence may find themselves in a tough predicament. Fortunately, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has demonstrated its commitment to improving the infrastructure and service delivery in the Kutupalong refugee camp.

This initiative aims to provide urgent support for the displaced Rohingya people and their host country, Bangladesh, fostering long-term resilience. Additionally, it promotes social harmony between the refugees and the local community.