The Government of Bangladesh is involved in all aspects of the Rohingya refugee response and is also responsible for its overall coordination. At different levels of governance, various state actors maintain close oversight over the humanitarian activities implemented in each sector. At the Dhaka level, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs chairs a National Task Force that comprises 29 ministries and entities (Inter-Sector Coordination Group [ISCG], 2019, p. 53). The Task Force was established in 2013 in the context of passing the National Strategy on Myanmar Refugees and Undocumented Myanmar Nationals and gained significance with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya in Bangladesh in late 2017. The National Task Force is responsible for determining the refugee policy and takes strategic decisions in this regard.56 In Cox’s Bazar, the Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC), a powerful agency under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, has many responsibilities, including managing and overseeing the refugee population (ISCG, 2020, p. 39). It chairs monthly meetings of the Sector Coordinators and the Site Planning Task Force, and convenes the monthly law and order meeting of the law enforcement and security agencies population (Ibid., 2020, p. 38). It also maintains oversight of all camp visits, issues camp passes to humanitarian staff and visitors and registers all vehicles entering and leaving the camp areas. Moreover, the RRRC gives final approval of all activities that humanitarian actors wish to implement in the camps. At field level, the Camps-in-Charge (CiC) lead the coordination of activities in the 34 designated camps and chair regular coordination meetings. The District Deputy Commissioner leads the civil administration in Cox’s Bazar and the response to the Bangladeshi host communities (Ibid., p. 38). All humanitarian projects require the approval of the CiCs or the District Deputy Commissioner before they can be implemented.57 The basis on which CiCs allow or refuse the implementation of a particular project in the camp under their supervision is not always clear.58 Many stakeholders acknowledge the Government of Bangladesh for its efforts and investments to allocate land to the Rohingya, maintain security and order in the Cox’s Bazar region and upgrade the road network to facilitate the distribution of essential goods and services. Nevertheless, government supervision of the humanitarian response and its rules and regulations create a high administrative workload and make non-governmental organizations (NGOs) rather hesitant to share their criticisms in official statements because they fear this may further constrain their operations.59 However, in October 2020, 27 international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) released an official statement in which they urged United Nations Member States, the donor community, United Nations agencies and leadership to address the root causes of displacement, protect the human rights of the Rohingya refugees and enable unfettered humanitarian access (Reliefweb, 2020). |