Japan provides US$3.4 million for lifesaving assistance to Rohingya refugees and host communities
With Japan’s latest contribution, WFP will deliver monthly food assistance and nutrition support to more than 100,000 Rohingya refugees and 2,000 vulnerable Bangladesh host communities.
Families will receive e-vouchers to purchase a variety of nutritious foods such as rice, lentils, and fresh vegetables from designated camp stores. Targeted nutrition support will also reach young children and pregnant or breastfeeding women, both within and beyond the camps, to help prevent and treat malnutrition.
“Japan stands firmly with Bangladesh and the international community in ensuring the basic needs of the Rohingya population are met, and the most vulnerable members of the host communities, particularly women and children, are also supported,” said H.E. Shinichi SAIDA, Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh. “We are deeply concerned about the growing needs in the camps and the sharp decline in humanitarian funding. Japan remains committed to working with WFP and all partners to prevent a worsening humanitarian crisis and contribute to a long-term solution where the Rohingya can return to Myanmar safely and with dignity.”
Since early 2024, intensified conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine State has forced nearly 150,000 additional Rohingya to seek refuge in camps, pushing the total population beyond 1.1 million. Despite the escalating needs, a sharp decline in international funding is affecting the entire humanitarian response, threatening essential services such as food, cooking gas, nutrition, healthcare, education, and protection.
Without urgent new funding - at least USD 60 million over the next six months and USD 167 million over the next 12 months, WFP faces a major disruption to its food assistance starting in December 2025.
“We are grateful for Japan’s steadfast partnership and the generosity of the people of Japan,” said Dom Scalpelli, WFP Country Director in Bangladesh. “The crisis is at a crossroads. We call on all partners to help prevent a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the camps. At WFP, we will continue to do our part – to stretch every dollar and ensure efficiency, transparency, and value for money.”
To date, WFP has achieved measurable savings - an estimated USD 19 million across current and upcoming implementation periods through programme optimization, financial and logistical streamlining, interagency cost-sharing, and other efficiency measures. As a result, eighty-two cents of every dollar now directly support the Rohingya response, up from seventy-one cents in mid-2023.
Since the onset of the crisis in August 2017, Japan has been a steadfast partner, contributing over US$ 240 million to WFP, other UN agencies, and NGOs in Bangladesh, including through this latest funding.
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About WFP:
The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters, and the impact of climate change.
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