ISTANBUL

The UN and its partners said on Monday they are seeking $934.5 million to fund a plan to address the ongoing Rohingya humanitarian crisis in Bangladesh.

The plan for 2025 aims to support nearly one million Rohingya refugees and assist over 390,000 vulnerable Bangladeshis in host communities, according to a report from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).

This marks the first two-year response plan for Bangladesh, reflecting the protracted nature of the crisis and worsening conditions in the camps.

The expanded budget targets increasing food insecurity, malnutrition and safety concerns, while prioritizing infrastructure upgrades, safer temporary shelters, and resilience programs to reduce vulnerabilities.

The budget increase will help tackle severe malnutrition and protection risks, ensuring continued access to life-saving food assistance and security measures within the camps.

The plan also introduces economic opportunities, skill development, and temporary shelter solutions to mitigate funding gaps and support voluntary repatriation while also enhancing camp safety through law enforcement training and community engagement initiatives.

Around 50,000 new arrivals have fled renewed violence in neighboring Myanmar – where the Rohingya in 2017 fled a genocide attempt – and require immediate protection and humanitarian assistance.

UN warns of dire consequences as Rohingya crisis faces cuts

The UN and their partners also urged the global community to uphold their funding commitments, warning that without adequate funding, food rations and other critical services could face severe reductions.

They added that without a long-term political solution, the Rohingya crisis could worsen, leading to greater insecurity and regional instability.

"We are not meant to be eight years on to a situation of protracted displacement ... and yet, we are in a situation where, if we face cuts as organizations, the people – the Rohingya – don’t eat, or they don’t have protection, or they don’t have basic life-saving needs met," said International Organization for Migration (IOM) Director General Amy Pope.

Highlighting worsening security in Cox’s Bazar, she warned: "If funding is reduced without alternatives, people will die."

Khalilur Rahman, high representative to the chief adviser on the Rohingya crisis, stressed the strain of hosting over a million refugees and called for greater international responsibility.

UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi reaffirmed that a lasting solution lies in Myanmar and stressed the need for peace in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where the Rohingya fled from.

He warned of the consequences of underfunding, citing a surge in malnutrition when the World Food Program reduced rations.

“There is a direct correlation between aid and lives,” he said.