Sweden to provide cleaner cooking LPG to Rohingya: Envoy Linde

LPG Cyllinders. BERC Magazine

Jehangir Hussain 

Swedish Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexandra Berg von Linde said on Thursday that the Swedish government would  continue its

support by providing cleaner cooking energy to Rohingyas. 

"We are commited to  continue the rehabilitation of ecosystems and  facilitate enhanced skills development for refugees and Bangladeshi host communities," he said, according to an Embassy release. 

These activities are part of the Safe Access to Fuel and Energy Plus, she added. 

Alexandra said that her country's latest contribution was $7.6 million for the energy and environment programme of the Rohingyas. 

"The contribution will facilitate  enhanced skills development for refugees and Bangladeshi host communities," she said. 

These activities are part of the Safe Access to Fuel and Energy Plus, phase 2 programme (SAFE+2). 

This is a joint programme which brings together the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, the International Organisation for Migration, the UN Refugee Agency, and the World Food Programme.

"It has been impressive to see the positive impact that the SAFE+2 programme has had on Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi host communities," said Alexandra. 

"As a substantial amount of forest in  Cox's Bazar area had initially been impacted following the large Rohingya influx in 2017, it is good to see that through a programme like SAFE+2, the area around the Cox's Bazar refugee camps has largely been regreened and reforested." she said. 

"This programme will provide liquefied petroleum gas to 190,000 refugee households,” she said.

It will improves refugees' well-being and living conditions, as it reduces smoke inhalation and substantially reduce CO2 emissions," she said.

The joint programme also supports the resilience of vulnerable refugees and host communities, through skills development projects related to environmental improvements and agriculture. 

Sweden has supported the SAFE+ programme since it was first initiated in 2019 and then led by IOM. SAFE+2 was launched as a joint UN programme in July 2022. 

The second phase of the programme is currently supported by the governments of Sweden and Canada.

jehangirh01@gmail.com