UNITED NATIONS, June 30 (INP): The continuing suffering of nearly one million Rohingya refugees driven from their homes in Myanmar will be the focus of the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres when he travels to Bangladesh this weekend, the country where they have found safe-haven. According to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, the visit will also highlight the generosity of Bangladesh in hosting the refugees as well as the need for the international community to do more. During the mission, the Secretary-General will be joined by Jim Yong Kim, the President of the World Bank Group. The two top officials are expected to meet with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other senior officials in the capital, Dhaka. On Monday, they are due to travel to Cox’s Bazar to visit Rohingya refugee communities and humanitarian workers and advocate for increased donor support. The greatest threat that hundreds-of-thousands face on the ground today, is the ongoing monsoon season, with torrential rain that can cause flash-flooding, and the heightened risk of cyclones which accompany it, the UN said. For refugees in makeshift dwellings, perched on unstable, flood and landslide-prone terrain, the risks are even higher. In this complex humanitarian crisis, ensuring that pregnant women and their unborn children are protected from the myriad threats looming over them, is all the more pressing, it was pointed out. Midwives, trained by a UN Population Fund (UNFPA)-supported programme to care for pregnant and post-partum refugees, are saving lives. “There’s a clear nexus here between the increasing capacity to ensure safer pregnancy and childbirth for the most vulnerable women in Bangladesh itself and the ability to respond better to humanitarian needs, as with the Rohingya situation,” Rondi Anderson, a UNFPA midwifery specialist, said. The evidence of this can be seen as women in labour, arrive at maternity centres in the camp, where they are provided with quality delivery services. A few hours later, the vast majority are cradling a healthy new-born girl or boy in their arms, in spite of the problems around them, says UNFPA. On his mission, Guterres will also be accompanied by the number of senior UN officials, including the High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, and the Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Natalia Kanem. “They will review the situation of the newly arrived Rohingyas in Bangladesh, and assess progress towards a safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees in line with international standards,” the UN Spokesman added. INP/AJ/SB