DHAKA, 17 AUGUST 2022: Today, UNFPA and Switzerland launched a new partnership to support mental health services in the Rohingya camps and host communities at a signing ceremony held in Dhaka in the presence of the Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh, Suzanne Muller, and Asia-Pacific Regional Director of UNFPA, Björn Andersson.

The project aims to address the lack of adequate mental health and psychosocial support services available in the camps and surrounding host communities. Depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues remain prevalent among the Rohingya community in Cox’s Bazar who have endured decades of hardships and abuse prior to their arrival to Bangladesh.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the problem, as restrictions on movement, education and community engagement have been imposed to contain the spread of the virus in the refugee camps.

To address these challenges, UNFPA and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) have launched a new community-based mental health and psychosocial support project in Cox’s Bazar.

“Ensuring access to mental health and psychosocial support services for Rohingya refugees and the host communities serves as a prerequisite for dignified living. We hope that this project will significantly improve the availability of such community-based services towards building a resilient and forward-looking community in Cox’s Bazar,” the Deputy Head of Mission of Switzerland, Suzanne Muller stated in the signing ceremony.'