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ASSESSMENT OVERVIEW
Over the last four decades, Rohingya refugees have been fleeing in successive waves to Bangladesh from Rakhine State, Myanmar. Periodic outbreaks of violence led to large exoduses of refugees, most recently following the events of August 2017 in Myanmar.1 As of August 2021, 900,000 refugees were residing in 34 camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf Upazilas.2,3,4 With the crisis moving into its fifth year, prospects of a return of refugees to Myanmar continue to be uncertain.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated protocols put in place in camps on 24 March 2020 to curb the spread of the virus resulted in reduced humanitarian access and service delivery throughout much of 2020. With only a limited number of essential services having been provided and severely disrupted access to self-reliance activities and cash among refugees, pre-existing needs were exacerbated, in particular related to food security, health-seeking behaviour, education, and protection-related issues. The Rohingya refugee camps and surrounding areas are also particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change as well as natural and human-induced hazards, including cyclones, monsoon floods, and fires. These factors compounded the households’ capacities to meet their needs and cope with gaps in services, in particular among the most at-risk population groups.6 A renewed lockdown, implemented in April 2021, may have further aggravated the situation.
Against this background, a Joint Multi-Sector Needs Assessment (J-MSNA) was conducted to support detailed humanitarian planning, meeting the multi-sectoral needs of affected populations, and to enhance the ability of operational partners to meet the strategic aims of donors and coordinating bodies. Building on past J-MSNAs and other assessments, the 2021 J-MSNA aimed to provide an accurate snapshot of the situation with the specific objectives of (1) providing a comprehensive evidence base of the diverse multi-sectoral needs among refugee populations and the host community to inform the 2022 Joint Response Plan; (2) providing an analysis of how refugee population and host community needs have changed in 2021; and (3) providing the basis for a joint multi-stakeholder analysis process.
A total of 3,683 households were surveyed across the 34 refugee camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf Upazilas. Households were sampled from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) refugee registration database using a stratified random sampling approach, with camps as the strata. Household survey data collection took place between 12 July and 26 August 2021. Each interview was conducted with an adult household representative responding on behalf of the household and its members.
Household-level findings in this factsheet are presented at the overall response level and and can be generalised to all Rohingya refugee households included in the sampling frame at a 95% confidence level and with 2% margin of error, unless stated otherwise. They are indicative of the Rohingya refugee population across all camps. A more detailed methodology, as well as caveats and limitations, can be found under "Background & Methodology" on page 2.
The J-MSNA was funded by UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO). The assessment was coordinated through the Inter Sector Coordination Group's (ISCG)
MSNA Technical Working Group (TWG), led by the ISCG and composed of UNHCR, IOM Needs and Population Monitoring (IOM NPM), World Food Programme Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (WFP VAM), ACAPS, and Helvetas with REACH as a technical implementing partner.