Published : 03 Aug 2026, 10:09 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:29 AM
Australia has committed $25.25 million to sustain life-saving assistance and protection for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
The three-year funding package, covering 2026-2028, will be channelled through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to support humanitarian programmes for the displaced population.
The UNHCR said on Monday that the funding comes at a time of growing uncertainty over global humanitarian financing and will help maintain essential services for refugees and host communities.
The assistance will support protection activities, skills development programmes, disaster risk reduction measures and other essential services in the refugee camps, it added.
The contribution was announced in the presence of Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and Australia's Assistant Minister for Citizenship Julian Hill.
Hill said, “Australia remains committed to supporting the humanitarian needs of Rohingya in Myanmar and Bangladesh.
“Displaced Rohingya want to return home, but the conditions in Myanmar need to be in place for their voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return. These can only be met by addressing the root cause of the crisis in Myanmar.”
According to the UNHCR, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in 2017, while around 1.2 million refugees now live in the country, most of them in densely populated camps in Cox's Bazar.
Most depend almost entirely on humanitarian assistance for their daily needs, while prolonged funding shortages have further heightened their vulnerability.
Since 2024, an estimated 150,000 additional Rohingya have arrived at the camps, many of whom still lack adequate shelter and basic services, including access to clean cooking fuel.
