An Agenda for a Dignified and Sustainable Rohingya Refugee Response in Bangladesh 4. Cross-Cutting Issue: Engagement with Affected Communities a. The Government of Bangladesh and the humanitarian community should centralise Rohingya representation in humanitarian decision-making. The Rohingya have lived for many years in Myanmar and Bangladesh under difficult conditions and without access to basic rights and services. Over the years, they have developed strong community networks and innovative coping strategies and capacities to address their problems. Community-centred approaches to humanitarian programming and decisionmaking will lead to inclusive and positive humanitarian outcomes based on trust, respect and dignity. The Government of Bangladesh with the involvement of the humanitarian community should support community self-representation and leadership by: ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ Advocating for an inclusive legal and operational space that will help elevate Rohingya voices by encouraging and supporting formal and informal Rohingya civil society initiatives and systematically help build leadership and representative structures in the community. Fostering meaningful participation of Rohingya and host community representatives (from among elected representatives, teachers, community mobilisers, faith-based leaders etc) in key sector humanitarian coordination and humanitarian decision-making fora, including through greater access to digital communication tools. Creating a safe space for Rohingya refugee volunteers, by putting in place community-based safeguarding measures such as community policing, safety audits, strong reporting and referrals mechanisms and sensitivity trainings for the community, camp authorities and security actors.295 Establishing community-based representative structures in the form of camp and block level committees replacing the existing majhi system, across all the camps, in collaboration with RRRC and CiCs. b. The Government of Bangladesh and the humanitarian community should promote social cohesion through host community engagement. The socio-economic and environmental challenges faced by local populations of Cox’s Bazar, one of the most underdeveloped and disaster-prone districts of Bangladesh, have been compounded by the presence of more than 800,000 Rohingya refugees. The lack of a clear longer-term framework for the Rohingya refugee response has created uncertainty for both refugee and host communities, resulting in tensions. The Government of Bangladesh with the involvement of the humanitarian community must continue to support host communities in addressing gaps in access to basic needs and services, determined through a consultative process by: ➢ 295 70 Conducting structured consultations with diverse voices in the host community to assess their needs, vulnerabilities, and risks; their perceptions; and challenges and opportunities for positive interaction between Rohingya and local communities continuing impact of the PWG/GiHA, supra n. 165. Act for Peace / May 2021