Attachments
UNHCR’s shelter and settlements programme (SSP) aims to address daily challenges faced by refugees by providing a structured living environment and ensuring access to suitable shelter and dignified living conditions free of hazards.
SSP also addresses issues such as inadequate access and overcrowding while emphasizing the equitable provision of essential services to promote the well-being and safety of all individuals in the settlements.
KEY ACTIVITIES
Regular Shelter Maintenance
The temporary nature of shelter materials approved by the Government of Bangladesh coupled with extreme weather conditions leads to the deterioration of refugee shelters every year. Refugee households thus require regular support, provided through distributions of bamboo, tarpaulin, rope, and wire by UNHCR and partners. In preparation for the cyclone and monsoon seasons, essential materials are distributed to all households for shelter reinforcement. Following extreme weather events such as heavy rains and winds, or incidents such as fires, UNHCR and partners conduct technical assessments of affected shelters and provide repair materials. Additional support by refugee volunteers is provided to vulnerable households who need assistance to repair or rebuild their dwellings.
Shelter Upgrade
UNHCR and partners work together to improve the living conditions for refugees within the approved guidelines. This includes effective and sustainable shelter solutions through the efficient use of space and sustainable use of materials, and reinforcement of existing temporary shelters with steel footings and treated bamboo.
Improved designs incorporating fire- and weather-resistant materials continued to be tested, and joint advocacy efforts to replace the temporary shelters are made through the Shelter and CCCM Sector.
Resilience Planning and Disaster Risk Reduction
Refugee camps and settlements in Cox’s Bazar are precarious locations prone to multi-hazard risks. UNHCR and partners continue to work on improving access, mitigating environmental risks, and installing and maintaining essential infrastructure like footpaths, access roads, bridges, walkways, steps, and slope stabilization, among others. Eco-disaster risk reduction and infrastructure investments have been integrated with environmental protection and rehabilitation activities, including nature-based solutions such as restoring natural drainage systems and plantation for slope stabilization to reduce soil erosion and flooding. In addition, UNHCR collaborated with the Shelter and CCCM sector to develop and update hazard risk maps to guide infrastructure development as well as new shelter construction across the camps.