On the second day of her working visit to Bangladesh in her capacity as UN Development Goals Advocate, Queen Mathilde on Tuesday visited the world’s largest refugee camp, Kutupalong in Cox’s district. Bazaar. Over a million Rohingya live there.
A Muslim minority in predominantly Buddhist Burma, the Rohingyas have faced structural discrimination for generations. Their living conditions are particularly difficult.
Nearly half of the camp’s inhabitants are minors but have only limited access to education. The Queen of the Belgians was received in one of the 3,400 learning centers where approximately 356,000 children study.
The day’s schedule also included a visit to a “safe space” where women and girls can meet in a safe environment, chat and teach each other skills. Premises are also set up there for professional assistance.
The SAFE+2 program was also discussed. In a context of a large influx of refugees in an otherwise vulnerable area, this is an initiative taken by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to protect the degraded ecosystem while improving household resilience.
Finally, the Queen visited an environmentally friendly facility that purifies faecal sludge.
