The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned of a critical funding shortfall for its emergency response operations here, jeopardizing food assistance for over one million Rohingyas in Bangladesh.
Without urgent new funding, monthly rations must be halved to US 6 dollars per person, down from US 12.50 dollars per person – just as Rohingyas prepare to observe Eid, marking the end of Ramadan, said a WFP press release here today.
All Rohingya receive vouchers that are redeemed for their choice of food at designated retailers in the camps.
To sustain full rations, WFP urgently requires US$15 million for April, and US$81 million until the end of 2025.
"The Rohingya refugee crisis remains one of the world's largest and most protracted,” said WFP Country Director in Bangladesh Dom Scalpelli.
“Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh remain entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance for their survival. Any reduction in food assistance will push them deeper into hunger and force them to resort to desperate measures just to survive,” he added.
In recent months, new waves of Rohingyas, potentially exceeding 100,000 people, have crossed into Bangladesh, fleeing conflict in neighbouring Myanmar.
The continued influx of Rohingya seeking safety places an even greater strain on already overstretched resources.
WFP has already begun communicating with the Rohingya community about the potential ration cuts.
This coincides with the holy month of Ramadan – a sacred period for Muslims worldwide, including for the majority of the Rohingya – observed as a time for solidarity and support.
“Now more than ever, the Rohingyas need us to stand with them. These families have nowhere else to go, and WFP’s food aid is the difference between survival and despair. Immediate support is urgently needed to prevent this crisis from escalating further," WFP’s country director said.
In 2023, severe funding constraints forced WFP to reduce rations from US$12 to US$8 per person per month, leading to a sharp decline in food consumption and the worst levels of malnutrition among children since 2017 – reaching over 15 percent – above the emergency threshold.
Rations were later increased when funding was received, said the release.
For a population with no legal status, no freedom of movement outside the camps, and no sustainable livelihood opportunities, further cuts will exacerbate protection and security risks.
As in 2023, the WFP said, women and girls, in particular, may face heightened risks of exploitation, trafficking, prostitution, and domestic violence.
Children may be pulled out of school and forced into child labour, while girls may be married off at a young age as families resort to desperate measures to survive, said the release.
