WASH services remain a critical component of the Rohingya refugee response requiring continual operation and maintenance, upgrading of existing facilities, innovative solutions for solid waste management, the sustainable use of resources and measures for the prevention of epidemic disease with COVID-19 exacerbating further the critical importance of WASH programming. IOM's response will focus on:

• Water Supply - Installation of four small scale solar-powered piped water networks in Camp 20 Ext to provide safe water to the beneficiaries. Operation and Maintenance (O&M) and upgrade of existing water supply systems in IOM Area of responsibility (AOR) will continue.
• Sanitation - Construction of durable latrines and upgrading of old ones to minimize desludging and health risks in both refugee and host communities. These include provisions for gender-inclusivity and usability for Persons with Disabilities (PwD). New Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS) will be constructed to address coverage gaps and O&M of existing FSM systems will continue. Solid waste management will be strengthened by focusing on the reduction and recycling of waste produced, including organic waste composting and plastic recycling.
• Hygiene Promotion and Epidemic Control - Promotion of hygienic practices through community participation to improve the overall WASH situation. Critical supplies of hygiene items (soap, water containers, Menstrual Hygiene Management materials, etc.) will be distributed, together with community education and mobilization activities targeting all age and gender groups at the household and community level. Engagement of the communities in O&M of WASH facilities, waste segregation and preventing COVID-19 disease transmission will continue. A real-time service monitoring and community feedback mechanisms will be maintained to ensure timely responses for any WASH-related health risks. WASH non-food items (NFIs) will be procured and prepositioned to respond to any emergency.

Shelter and non-food items (NFIs) remain an immediate need for Rohingya refugees, in part due to the limited lifespan of materials, such as bamboo, and the damaging impact of weather. The refugees' limited financial means require them to rely on continual maintenance by humanitarian actors, with a focus upon training. IOM’s response will focus on:

• Transitional Shelter Assistance (TSA) - Roll-out the second phase of TSA which includes the provision of durable shelter materials, training and technical assistance across IOM-supported camps. This will be implemented by incorporating community-led shelter initiatives and focusing on capacity building of refugees to incorporate Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) principles in shelter maintenance and construction.
• Mid-Term Shelters (MTS) - Construction of durable shelters in Camp 20 and 20 Ext to accommodate the most vulnerable households, new arrivals, and families relocated from other camps. MTS will be constructed in coordination with refugees who have experience in construction and with durable shelter materials.
• NFI Assistance - Manage and ensure a voucher-based NFI assistance system with an increased range of items enabling families to choose items in accordance with their specific needs and provide household-level solar lights to support the dignity and safety of refugees.
• Emergency Preparedness and Response - Continue to directly implement emergency response to assist damaged shelters due to heavy rain/wind, monsoon, cyclone, fire and relocation through material prepositioning, pipeline support, damage verification, material distribution and construction support where needed.
• Two-storey Steel Frame Shelters - In close coordination with relevant actors, plan to pilot the construction of 2 storey steel frame shelters to ease the density and overcrowded environment in the camps
• Alternative Construction Materials - Conduct pilot studies for alternative materials and continue to treat borak bamboo at the Bamboo Treatment Facility (BTF) for use in shelter construction and other facilities.
• Support to Host Communities - Increase support for host communities living adjacent to the camps through shelter repair and upgrade assistance incorporating DRR principles and household-level lighting.
• Appointment of Catchment Focal Points - Support the Sector’s revised shelter focal point system by appointing catchment focal points in all IOM-led catchment areas to strengthen field-level coordination through improved communication and response in times of emergency
• LPG Refills in Camps and Host Communities – Continue the provision of LPG cooking fuel at the household level covering the 18 camps in IOM’s Areas of Responsibility (AoR) and neighbouring host communities to contribute to food and nutrition security. The distribution of LPG contributes to reducing risk to health, exposure to GBV and environmental impact. It further reduces the risk of immediate tension and conflict between refugees and host communities from the collection of firewood. Finally, refilling cylinders will continue to be tailored to household family size and seasonal needs.
• LPG Cooking Stove Replacement – In 2019, all Rohingya refugees in IOM’s AoR received cooking stoves along with LPG canisters in order to achieve safe cooking means. By the end of 2020, however, the stoves have reached the end of their lifespan and started to wear out - especially with the high level of humidity inside the shelters - and now demand has increased for stove replacements. To address this need, 85,000 stoves will need replacement.
• Fire Safety Training - The overcrowded camps coupled with bamboo usage for construction and cooking fuels, heightens the vulnerability to fire incidents. To mitigate these risks, the Government of Bangladesh, along with humanitarian agencies have taken essential measures to ensure fire safety for refugees and host community populations. IOM will continue training all beneficiaries on the safe use of cooking fuels, efficient cooking methods, fire safety and environmental conversation during LPG distribution and refilling. Additionally, IOM will deploy safety volunteers across the camps and will continue implementing a consolidated response mechanism enabling rapid action in case of a fire hazard.

Rohingya refugees are exposed to a variety of risks with increased susceptibility from underlying conditions, limited access to comprehensive health services and unhygienic conditions. IOM’s response will focus on:

• Quality Life-Saving Health Services - Continue to provide preventative and curative health services as per the essential health package in all health facilities and integrate MHPPS and palliative care. Additionally, ensure comprehensive sexual reproductive health (SRH) services including antenatal care (ANC), postnatal care (PNC), assisted deliveries in facilities (basic emergency obstetric and newborn care -BEmONC/ comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care -CEmONC), a variety of family planning methods, emergency contraception (including management for GBV survivors and CMR), adolescent-friendly health services and HIV services including HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT), sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening and management and PMTCT.
• Health Systems Strengthening - Continue coordination and collaborations with all health sector stakeholders in relevant working groups, and strengthen advocacy and technical support to the Government of Bangladesh.
• Community Engagement - Ensure effective approaches in community engagement and health risk communication are in place and establish a community feedback mechanism.
• Emergency Preparedness and Response for Outbreaks and Disasters - Establish and maintain the institutions for early diagnosis, isolation and management of diseases with outbreak potential (e.g. COVID-19 and acute watery diarrhea (AWD), provide comprehensive care with linkages to other services, and ensure support to all facility (administrative, infrastructures and SOPs) and community measures for improved IPC measures. Monitor and report through Early Warning, Alert and Response Systems (EWARS), and initiate surveillance, laboratory and appropriate transmission prevention and response actions during emergencies. Finally, operationalize the DRU/Dispatch and referral unit, mobile medical teams/rapid investigation teams in the event of disaster/outbreaks.

The conditions under which Rohingya refugees were displaced from Myanmar have left an indelible mark on the population, contributing to a variety of increased mental health and psychosocial vulnerabilities. The current camp conditions and the delayed prospect of an eventual return home often lead to negative health-seeking behaviour and poor health outcomes. IOM’s response will focus on:

• Integration of MHPSS Services into Health Facilities - Strengthen the integration of MHPSS services into health facilities with community outreach mobile services and facilitation of community referral and support systems. MHPSS services will be provided to Rohingya and host communities at health facilities through psychoeducation and awareness-raising sessions, counselling, individual assessment, support to persons with moderate to severe mental health conditions, facilitation of referrals to specialized services provided by psychiatrists and doctors trained and supervised in Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) through a functioning referral and follow-up system.
• MHPSS Heath Systems Strengthening - Continue to contribute to the strengthening of the overall MHPSS system in Bangladesh, through coordination with MHPSS WG and the National MHPSS task force implementing capacity building initiatives targeting government stakeholders from various ministries, community and religious leaders from host and Rohingya communities, representatives of community networks, and local CBOs and NGOs.
• Community-Based MHPSS Approach - Continue to implement community-level MHPSS services through various evidence-based interventions, including support groups, socio-relational, creative and art, ritual and celebration, sport and play activities.
• Rohingya Cultural Memory Centre (RCMC) - Continue to deliver psychosocial support through art therapy, protection and skills development activities led by creative practitioners and mental health officers to provide the Rohingya community with the tools and platform to tell their story. The RCMC strives to function as a vehicle to not only preserve Rohingya’s rich culture but also to adapt and enhance its expression, contributing towards strengthening their collective identity.

Despite having found safe haven and demonstrating remarkable resilience, Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar continue to face formidable challenges requiring specialized protection services. IOM’s response will focus on:

General Protection and Counter-trafficking

• Protection Mainstreaming - Lead protection mainstreaming activities by training partners providing direct humanitarian assistance in WASH, health, nutrition and food assistance and provide technical guidance for addressing structural gaps identified in service delivery.
• Community-Based Protection Networks (CPBNs) - Enhance the self-protection capacities amongst the Rohingya refugees by supporting CPBN Networks and by establishing community committees and engaging Rohingya volunteers.
• Individual Protection Assistance - Provide assistance to extremely vulnerable individuals (EVIs) in particular, support the meaningful and equitable access of refugees to all humanitarian services and restoring their safety and dignity during and after displacements and identification, and provide direct assistance to victims of trafficking.
• Emergency Preparedness and Response - Contribute to emergency preparedness and response by raising awareness prior to an anticipated disaster/crisis, supporting the Protection Sector’s Emergency Response Unit (PERU), and supporting disaster-affected persons’ protection needs and meaningful and equitable access to all humanitarian services.
• Protection Monitoring - Conduct protection monitoring and rapid protection assessments through direct observation, FGDs and KIIs in order to establish key protection trends, threats and risks faced by Rohingya Refugees and compile, analyze data to publish quarterly reports.
• Capacity Building - Raise awareness and build the capacity of the refugee community, with a special focus on persons with disabilities, elderly, pregnant women, single-headed households, widows, and other EVIs on COVID-19, protection, counter trafficking, smuggling and human rights messages.

Gender-based Violence

• Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSS) - Continue providing comprehensive and quality case management services to refugees and host communities in Ukhiya and Teknaf Upazilas through the 10 Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSS) with one emergency safe shelter for women and girls at critical safety and security risks for GBV survivors, victims of trafficking, and children in need of emergency protection. The WGSS act as critical life-saving entry points in providing individual case management including referral to multi-sectoral services to ensure vulnerable at-risk women and girls and GBV survivors have their physical and psychosocial needs supported and addressed.
• Women and Girls’ Empowerment - Conduct training for Rohingya women to enhance their leadership and decision-making skills at the individual, household and community levels as well as their political leadership to influence camp coordination and camp management and overall community engagement activities.
• Community Engagement - Build the capacity of community members to facilitate sessions and disseminate GBV prevention messages in the community to spark dialogue with men and boys on GBV. This is implemented through the IOM developed community outreach ‘Poribortok!’ (Change Makers) initiative.
• Psychosocial Support - Continue providing psychosocial support through the WGSS to address the critical need in improving the safety and dignity of women and girls. Activities include life skills building activities and recreational activities such as radio listening groups, creative arts therapy, tailoring training, basket weaving/handicrafts and basic computer literacy training.

Child Protection

• Community-based Child Protection - Strengthen and enhance the capacity of families and communities to care for and protect children with the participation and inclusion of children and youth by supporting Community-based Child Protection Committees (CBCPCs), Adolescents’ Committees, Parent Groups, Religious leaders and Teachers’ networks.
• Awareness-Raising - Continue to raise awareness and sensitize community members on key child protection issues to support the mitigation and identification of child protection risks in the community and camps with the overall goal of strengthening the protective environment.
• Psychosocial Support (PSS) - Support at-risk children (age 2-7) and their families through Child-friendly Corners in the Women and Girls Safe Spaces while their mother/caregiver participate in activities. Static and mobile Child-friendly Spaces (CFS) will continue to provide safe access to age-appropriate, disability and gender-sensitive structured psychosocial, recreational and cultural activities (e.g., mobile activities for adolescent girls with restricted movement).
• Case Management Services - Provide vulnerable girls and boys at-risk of harm and child survivors of abuse, neglect, violence and exploitation with specialized services in caring for child survivors of GBV and trafficking, and for children with disabilities.
• Technical Support - Provide technical support and capacity building to local authorities (ward members, chairmen, village police, village court) on CP principles, identification and referral mechanism, relevant legislation related to child abuse, child labour, child marriage and other key child protection issues in the area.

Community Safety and Peaceful Co-existence

• Community Safety Forums - Establish safety forums in 10 camps and develop the capacity of its members on community safety, conflict resolution and mediation to promote peaceful coexistence. Skills gained through training programs will be utilized for the development of safe community plans jointly with police recognizing different gender and age safety and risk perceptions and addressing the vulnerabilities women and youth face.
• Conflict Resolution - Conduct capacity building of community leaders and youth on conflict resolution in peer-to-peer education on violence and crime prevention, including GBV and SEA. The activity will offer skills and knowledge to promote peaceful coexistence, protection from violence and crime, sexual exploitation and abuse and minimize potential secondary victimization.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution - Build capacities of refugee and host community men, youth, elderly, people with disabilities and leadership committees on aspects of alternative dispute resolution and mediation to support peaceful coexistence.
• Women’s Awareness Raising - Implement targeted legal and social awareness trainings for women in camps and host communities to build capacity on their legal rights and access to legal remedies.
• Legal Assistance - Expand legal assistance services, including targeted awareness-raising activities, within the refugee and host communities on access to formal and informal conflict resolution mechanisms.
• Police Capacity Building - Refurbish police posts in the camps and train the police (APBN and DP) in refugee protection legal framework, Protection principles, SGBV prevention and child protection, community safety and conflict resolution.

The management and maintenance of the 34 camps hosting over 800,000 Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar requires extensive coordination across scores of humanitarian actors, government officials and Rohingya representatives. IOM’s response will focus on:

Site Management and Site Development

• Camp-level Coordination - Increase coordination between different service providers by implementing service monitoring to highlight gaps, prioritize facilities and services and avoid duplication of efforts. Continue to strengthen the multi-hazard emergency preparedness and response efforts at camp and catchment-levels for fire, monsoon and cyclone events.
• Community Participation - Strengthen participation through the identification and prioritization of site development areas using a consultative process and ensuring inclusion and meaningful participation through the Common Feedback Platform.
• Community Participation and Inclusion - Jointly with Protection and CwC, continue to enhance beneficiary engagement by strengthening existing, and forming additional, age, gender and diversity groups such as the Women’s Participation Project and Youth Sports Groups, and Community Committees. Support will be provided in designing and implementing community-led projects. Additionally, continue to ensure adequate access to referral services for vulnerable households, including women and persons with disabilities as well as access to the IOM cash-for-work system.
• Capacity Sharing - Contribute to the SMSD sector capacity sharing initiative by training government staff deployed to support the CiCs in daily camp management activities.
• Civil Infrastructure - Continue to improve living conditions and reduce risks posed by natural hazards through improving civil infrastructure across the camps and building the capacity of skilled volunteers to maintain camp access through drainage and stabilization. This also includes site development for new shelter designs, as well as the upgrade of bamboo bridges to modular steel bridges to ensure all-weather access to services for the camp population.
• Solar Streetlights - Install additional lights based on gaps and in consultation with communities to determine and prioritize risk areas. Continue repair and maintenance of existing solar streetlights.

Site Management Engineering Project

The Site Management Engineering Project (SMEP), a joint initiative between IOM, UNCHR and WFP, aims to install and maintain infrastructure to ensure equitable humanitarian and beneficiary access for all Rohingya and Bangladeshi host community individuals residing in and around the Cox’s Bazar.

• Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) – Continue to undertake infrastructure inspection, repair, maintenance and installation of roads, drainage and slope stabilization across the camps.
• Emergency Response Task Force – Maintain the availability of teams to be dispatched in a rapid response to ensure 365, 24/7 access to the 60km of vehicle access roads.
• Gender Inclusion – Increase women’s inclusion rates to 35% through a field supervisor-lead initiative, engaging additional female skilled workers and supervisors.
• Persons with Disabilities (PWD) – Continue to collaborate with protection actors in their respective camps to identify and engage (where appropriate) PwDs for FOB activities.
• Casting Yards (CYs) – Continue to prefabricate concrete, steel, timber, and bamboo construction elements to be used by Shelter and SMSD actors based on submitted requests and needs and install more crib walls, curb and gutter drainage, and ‘U’ section cross drainage, facilitating a more durable and rapid response.
• Government Engineering Department (LGED) – Continue to promote partnerships and resource sharing with local actors, anticipating handover of activities in the future.
• Machines – Operate a total of 43 machines across the response, that will be offered to IOM-UNHCR-WFP partners to expedite earthworks and improve lifting safety.

Communicating with Communities

• AAP - Reinforce coordination, advocacy, and technical support, mainstreaming CwC and AAP principles and standards across different sectors and stakeholders.
• Beneficiary-centred - Support a harmonized approach to community engagement, feedback and information dissemination to ensure Rohingya refugee voices better lead programming agendas.
• Community Feedback - Operate the Multi-sector Community Feedback Mechanism for referral of community feedback across the response and share IM outputs highlighting feedback trends across all areas. Additionally, promote recommended minimum standards and tools for the referral and resolution of community feedback to improve AAP.
• Thematic Consultations - Engage with refugees on socio-cultural aspects of relief provision and systematize and improve accountability through strengthened consultation practices and dedicated CwC consultation teams.
• Audio-visual Listening - Scale Aa’rar Hal Hobor, a participatory radio-listening and information sharing programme across camps supported by IOM.

Due to limited economic opportunities for Rohingya refugees and the adverse effects of the influx upon affected host communities, the provision of livelihoods and self-reliance activities helps support individuals meet their basic and immediate needs, with attention paid to peaceful coexistence and sustainable economic development. IOM’s response will focus on:

• Participatory Needs Assessments - Conduct a post-pandemic anticipatory needs assessment to design appropriate integrated technical and market-oriented portable skills training including market assessments and facilities mapping in 18 camps.
• Self-reliance and Portable Skills Assistance - Provide self-reliance and portable skills assistance to refugees through input support and trainings on gardening, handicrafts, poultry and aquaculture to build resilience to shocks.
• Cash-Based Interventions - Cash-for-Work for Rohingya in camps to restore community infrastructure, tree plantation cleaning initiative, garbage collection, among others.
• Host Communities Livelihoods Capacity Building and Input Support - Provide market-oriented on-farm and off-farm livelihoods support targeting vulnerable host communities in Teknaf, Ukhiya, Moheshkhali, and Ramu Upazilas and connect them to commercial entities and market systems.
• Host Communities Non-chemical Dry Fish Production - The fishing community in Ukhiya and Teknaf will receive improved dry fish production support, which includes skills development, assets and linkages to dry fish vendors in Ukhiya, Teknaf and Cox’s Bazar.
• Host Communities Cash-Based Interventions - Continue with cash-based interventions to restore communal infrastructure through cash for work and unconditional cash assistance to respond to shocks and invest in resilient livelihoods.
• Host Communities Media Engagement - Introduce conflict sensitive media reporting to foster social cohesion and peaceful coexistence between Rohingya refugees and host communities in Cox’s Bazar District.

Note: Funding confirmed figures under this activity area also partially include funding for SAFEPlus.

Disaster Risk Management (DRM) within the host communities of Bangladesh remains a crucial area for local capacity building and the institutionalization of emergency preparedness and response. There is scope to build upon current DRM measures to further mitigate the risks associated with the monsoon and cyclone seasons. IOM’s response will focus on:

• Disaster Preparedness - Continue to strengthen community-based cyclone early warning systems through awareness-raising and capacity development of the local communities. This includes training volunteers in overall response management planning to broaden their scope beyond early warning information dissemination and developing evacuation and contingency plans through community participation. Additionally, small-scale infrastructure interventions, such as the construction of stairs, guide walls, protection walls, slope stabilization and the rehabilitation of small bridges and culverts will be implemented. On fire hazards, fire safety volunteers will be trained on safety and early rescue measures.
• Multi-Purpose Cyclone Shelters - Rehabilitation works will be extended in Ukhiya and Teknaf to improve and retrofit existing cyclone shelters, including the repair of entrance roads and clearing surrounding areas.
• Vulnerability Capacity Assessment - A comprehensive Socio-economic and Climate Vulnerability Capacity Assessment will be conducted in Cox’s Bazar to understand the vulnerability and impact of different hazards.
• Evacuation Plans and Drills - Mainstream DRR into school curriculums by developing plans and procedures to impart an active culture of emergency preparedness among schoolchildren and activate school committees and orient them on their responsibilities. Additionally, shelters will be fit with emergency kits for use in an evacuation and supplied with assistive devices for Persons with Disabilities.
• Naf River-based Interventions - Strengthen the capacity of Naf River-based institutions to develop and implement DRR mechanisms including the formation of each Ward Disaster Management Committees, Ward level Contingency Plan, Standard Operating Procedures and related capacity building initiatives for key community-based actors.

As the Rohingya refugee crisis persists, so does the need for evidence-based interventions, supported by a broad information management framework. Analysis on needs and access to services requires consistent, accurate and sex and age disaggregated data to understand key gaps in service provision. IOM’s response will focus on:

• Emergency Assessments - NPM designed and implemented a daily, category 1 incident report in support of the Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG) in 2018. NPM will continue with the daily/weekly exercise to provide an overview of localized events, such as slope failure, floods and wind/rain/storm damage affecting the refugee population.
• Needs Assessments - Continue to conduct needs assessment to provide information on multi-sectoral needs of Rohingya refugees in all camp and camp-like settings as well as in the host community. The information generated from these assessments will be used for evidence-based programming.
• Thematic Assessments - Continue to engage in thematic assessments with different actors in the Rohingya context. More specifically, in 2021 two rounds of shelter standard assessment under the coordination of the Shelter Sector will be conducted. Additionally, technical support will be provided to working groups/sectors to generate relevant information for specific programming.
• Mapping - Continue to conduct mapping activities in all camp and camp-like settings to provide updated imagery that will foster a better understanding among IOM, donors, sectors and humanitarian partners of camp design, development, accessibility and damages to ensure equal access to services.

Coordination, led by the Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG), is a cornerstone of the response in Cox’s Bazar, ranging from day-to-day planning among a myriad of partners, stakeholders and officials, to the setting and evaluation of strategic response priorities. IOM will support the ISCG in Cox’s Bazar through the following:

• SEG and HoO - Support the Strategic Executive Group (SEG) and Heads of Office (HoO) efforts to take decisions on key policy, security and operational challenges, informed by Protection considerations.
• Beneficiary-centred - Work with Sectors and humanitarian partners to strengthen AAP and understanding of community capacities and preferences.
• Networks and Working Groups - Convene and coordinate the PSEA Network, the Transfers Working Group (cash and vouchers), the Emergency Preparedness Working Group, the Information Management and Assessments Working Group.
• Information Management - Manage data and information in support of humanitarian decision-making, advocacy and public information, resulting in regular information products.
• Access Analysis - Analyse access constraints and engage relevant stakeholders to address them.
• Disaster Preparedness - Ensure adequate monsoon and cyclone preparedness and contingency planning.
• Joint Response Plan - Support with the JRP planning cycle, needs overviews and analysis, strategic planning and appeals (including contingency) and response and needs monitoring and reporting.
• Staff Health - The UN has developed the Critical Health Services Support (CHESS) project to establish a COVID-19 Medical Treatment Facility (MTF) in Cox’s Bazar. IOM will support with construction and equipment for a phased deployment of the MTF - which will have an initial 18-bed capacity.