COX'S BAZAAR, Nov 25: The Cox's Bazar CSO NGO Forum (CCNF) has accused UNHCR of undermining the capacity of local non-government organisations by excluding them from its 2026-2029 partnership plan for the Rohingya response.
The forum also criticised the World Bank's USD 700 million support package, saying it similarly overlooks local civil society organisations (CSOs) in its implementation strategy.
The allegations were raised on Tuesday at a press conference at the Cox's Bazar Press Club under the banner "UNHCR Undermines Local Organizations' Capacity in Rohingya Response."
The event was moderated by CCNF Co-Chair Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, with representatives from several Cox's Bazar-based NGOs-including Help Cox's Bazar, ADHIKAR, ORNAB, CEHRDF, SBSKS and YPSA-in attendance, alongside journalists from print and electronic media.
Md Shahinur Islam of COAST Foundation said UNHCR has discontinued all partnerships with local NGOs in the district, shifting them instead to international NGOs and organisations based outside Cox's Bazar. He noted that this contradicts UNHCR's own Guidelines on Localization, published in October 2025, which emphasise strengthening local partnerships.
Calling for the cancellation of the new partnership framework, he said: "Local NGOs had some participation in the 2025 partnership cycle, but UNHCR has now decided that no local organisation will receive funding from 2026 to 2029. This ignores the proven capacity of local NGOs and contradicts the very principle of localisation."
Abu Musa of ADHIKAR criticised the World Bank's plan to deploy USD 700 million-comprising loans for host communities and grants for Rohingya-through projects implemented solely by the Bangladesh government and UN agencies. He said local NGOs and CSOs have been "unjustly excluded," calling the loan-grant structure discriminatory and harmful to social cohesion.
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury acknowledged the contributions of both local and international NGOs since the Rohingya influx in 2017. While appreciating the INGOs' technical expertise and fundraising abilities, he stressed that they "should not compete with local NGOs for resources within Bangladesh" and instead should mobilise funding from their own countries.
Md Elias Miah of CEHRDF expressed concern about environmental degradation in Cox's Bazar, highlighting the region's vulnerability to natural disasters and pressure on natural resources. He said over 25 million litres of groundwater are extracted daily from Ukhia and Teknaf to supply the camps-posing long-term risks for host communities.
