3,000 tonnes of Ukrainian sunflower oil reach Cox’s Bazar refugee camps

The oil will provide enough cooking fuel for one million Rohingya refugees over the next three months, according to WFP

A shipment of 3,000 tonnes of sunflower oil from Ukraine has arrived at refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar to support Rohingya refugees.

On Wednesday, a media statement from the Embassy of Sweden in Dhaka confirmed that the oil was formally handed over to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) at a ceremony in Cox’s Bazar.

The donation was delivered jointly by Swedish Ambassador Nicholas Wicks, Ukraine’s Ambassador to India and Bangladesh Oleksandr Polishchuk, and France’s Ambassador to Dhaka Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet, under the “Grain From Ukraine” initiative.

According to the release, the oil was purchased from Ukraine using a $7 million grant from Sweden and will be distributed among the Rohingya by the WFP. The supply is sufficient to meet the cooking needs of one million refugees for three months.

Ambassador Wicks described the initiative as “unique”, highlighting that it addresses the needs of Rohingya refugees while also supporting Ukrainian farmers and families affected by Russian aggression, calling it a tangible example of solidarity and cooperation.

In addition, Sweden announced it would provide $2.85 million in funding to supply cooking fuel for the refugee population.