Sustainable Development and Livelihoods of Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh: The Effects of COVID-19

Abstract

Bangladesh is one of the top refugee-hosting countries of the world and adversely affected by the COVID-19. This paper aims to identify how the COVID-19 pandemic affects the Rohingya refugee and expose the vulnerability that challenges SDGs. The study follows a system approach grounded on a sustainable development model and uses secondary sources of data. The study found that fragmented and random policies in refugee crisis management during the COVID-19 reveals the policy lacks structural fragility due to inadequate policy and programs. Besides, the limited number of health care, food, education, washing facilities, housing, and the utilization of inferior materials in camps put pressure on the refugee health, education, and well-being during COVID-19. It also reduces the monetary funds, which affects humanitarian support, and limits the aid to SDGs in refugee camps due to restrictive policies. Moreover, refugees' inability to include an inclusive social security system is far from existing social inequality. This paper calls for robust policies and programs with adequate funding for structural logistics and effective service delivery in refugee management for their future well-being and promoting SDGs in refugee camps.