The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the government of South Korea have announced a groundbreaking partnership aimed at empowering Rohingya women and youth in Bangladesh. This collaboration, backed by a USD $3 million contribution from South Korea, seeks to address critical issues such as child marriage, gender-based violence (GBV), and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) within the Rohingya camps and host communities.
The initiative, which will be implemented across eight Rohingya camps, including those in Cox’s Bazar and Bashan Char, focuses on creating safe spaces for adolescents and young people. These spaces will offer vital skills and knowledge to prevent child marriage and GBV, while also enhancing education on SRHR. The funds will be instrumental in bolstering the Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis.
A key component of this effort is the launch of the project ‘Combating Early and Forced Child Marriage in Rohingya Camps: Non-Formal Education in Safe Spaces,’ which will provide Rohingya youth with lessons on rights, relationships, sexual and reproductive health, and functional literacy. The UNFPA will also continue running its Adolescents and Youth Centres, delivering life-skills training and adolescent-responsive services.
Additionally, the initiative will introduce reusable menstrual products and menstrual cups to help alleviate challenges faced by Rohingya women and girls in the overcrowded camps.
Speaking at the signing ceremony held at the Embassy of Korea in Dhaka, Masaki Watabe, the Representative of UNFPA Bangladesh, emphasized the importance of the partnership. “In this crucial moment, UNFPA deeply values Korea’s leadership and commitment to addressing the pressing needs of Rohingya women and girls,” Watabe said.
Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh, Park Young-sik, highlighted the significance of the initiative, stating, “Korea’s new partnership with UNFPA clearly shows that the Korean Government places great importance on issues related to women and girls and demonstrates the country’s firm and growing commitment to human rights and gender equality.”
With the Rohingya crisis now prolonged and competing with other global humanitarian emergencies for resources, this partnership between South Korea and UNFPA offers crucial support to a vulnerable population, particularly Rohingya adolescents and women who have long been overlooked.
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