Media Advisory: Pledging Conference for the Rohingya Refugee Crisis / Monday 23 October in Geneva
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Invitation to the press
Media representatives are invited to cover the international donor Pledging Conference for the Rohingya Refugee Crisis on Monday 23 October in Geneva, Switzerland. Invited by the UN agencies for Migration (IOM) and Refugees (UNHCR), the UN’s humanitarian coordination body OCHA and with the European Union and the Government of Kuwait as co-hosts, high-level representatives of donor countries and agencies will meet at the UN Office at Geneva to pledge their support in response to the influx of refugees from Myanmar’s Rakhine state to Bangladesh.
Where, When and Who
· Venue: Room XIX, Palais des Nations, Avenue de la Paix 8-14, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
· Time: Monday 23 October 9:30 – 16:00.
· For programme please go to http://bit.ly/2ymcquF
· The conference is open to the press and there will be designated seating and positions for journalists and cameramen in Room XIX.
· The opening sessions of the conference and the press stakeout will be webcast here: http://webtv.un.org/live/
· Press stakeout at 13:00 (time tbc) with: Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock (OCHA); High Commissioner Filippo Grandi (UNHCR); Director General William Lacy Swing (IOM).
Accreditation
Media without a UNOG accreditation need to register here: http://bit.ly/2yjeySl Media representatives already accredited at the UN in Geneva do not need additional accreditation.
Background
Since 25 August, more than half a million Rohingya refugees have fled violence and insecurity in Myanmar’s Rakhine State and sought refuge in neighbouring Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. This massive influx is the largest refugee movement in the region in decades, and brings the total number of Rohingya living in Cox’s Bazar to more than 800,000 people. The influx has resulted in a humanitarian emergency which continues to grow.
The Government and people of Bangladesh have generously welcomed the newly arrived refugees. UN and humanitarian partners have delivered emergency assistance, with generous donor support, but a significant scale-up is necessary. Additional support is urgently needed to meet affected people’s life-saving needs.
The UN-coordinated joint Response Plan requires US$434 million to assist 1.2 million people, including new refugees, previous refugees and host communities. To date, available funding and uncommitted pledges amount to roughly $100 million. It is expected that significant funding including to the Response Plan will be announced in Geneva.
Contact
IOM: Olivia Headon, Tel: +41 22 717 94 35, Mob: +41 794035365, OHEADON@iom.int
UNHCR: Duniya Aslam Khan, Mob: +41 79 453 25 08, khand@unhcr.org
OCHA: Jens Laerke, Tel: +41 22 917 11 42, Mob: +41 (0)79 472 9750, laerke@un.org and Vanessa Huguenin, Tel: +41 22 917 18, Mob: +41 79 202 68 44, huguenin@un.org
For more information from OCHA on the Rohingya Crisis: http://www.unocha.org/rohingya-refugee-crisis