The session provides insights into the needs of refugees, their coping strategies, family ties abroad, and the adequacy and limitations of the current aid response.

Over one million refugees currently live in dire conditions in the world's largest refugee camp near the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar. Almost three years after the 2017 exodus, there is little hope for repatriation or integration in the short term. A recent study by The Asia Foundation and the Center for Peace and Justice at BRAC University highlights the role of transnational family networks and non-aid income in the coping strategies of Rohingya refugees. It stresses the importance of increasing the self-reliance of refugee households by working on comprehensive livelihood solutions that are acceptable to host communities.

Jessica Olney, who led the study, and Manzoor Hasan, Executive Director of the Center for Peace and Justice, provides an overview of research findings and recommendations. They discuss the localization of aid in Bangladesh, and the impact of COVID-19 in the camps.

This is the first part of a series on Aid in Conflict-Affected Borderlands, proposed by the X-Border Local Research Network. Watch the second part The Transnational Everyday in the Horn of Africa and the third part The Syrian Refuge Crisis in Lebanon. A partnership between The Asia Foundation, the Rift Valley Institute and the Carnegie Middle East Center, the X-Border Local Research Network aims to develop a better global understanding of conflict and fragility in the borderlands of Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The program is supported by the UK government.

This session is part of the Fragility Forum 2020 Virtual Series.