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Aid in Conflict-Affected Borderlands: The Rohingya Crisis in Bangladesh

Program Year: 2020

Over one million refugees currently live in dire conditions in the world’s largest refugee camp near the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar. Almost three years after the 2017 Rohingya exodus from Myanmar, there is little hope for repatriation or integration in the short term. A recent study by The Asia Foundation and the Center for Peace and Justice at BRAC University explores mobility, hardship, and livelihoods among refugee families living in the camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, and highlights the role of transnational family networks and non-aid income in the coping strategies of Rohingya refugees.

Jessica Olney, a researcher with The Asia Foundation, and Manzoor Hasan, executive director of the Center for Peace and Justice, provide insights into the needs of refugees, their coping strategies, family ties abroad, the adequacy and limitations of the current aid response, the localization of aid in Bangladesh, and the impact of Covid-19 in the camps.

This session is part of the Fragility Forum 2020 Virtual Series, which brings together global practitioners and policymakers to exchange knowledge and experience on engaging in environments affected by fragility, conflict and violence. Aid in Conflict-Affected Borderlands is a series of three sessions proposed by the X-Border Local Research Network. A partnership between The Asia Foundation, the Rift Valley Institute and the Carnegie Middle East Center, the X-Border Network aims to develop a better global understanding of conflict and fragility in the borderlands of Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The program is supported by the UK government.

Related locations: Bangladesh
Related programs: X-Border Local Research Network

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September 26, 2023

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