Australia commits $11.5M to support Rohingya in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Australia has committed $11.5 million in new funding to support humanitarian services for Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh under a multi-year agreement with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The funding, covering the period from 2026 to 2028, aims to sustain essential programs focused on sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence prevention and response, and services for adolescents and young people in the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar.

According to a statement from UNFPA, the agreement represents the third multi-year flexible funding partnership between Australia and the U.N. agency supporting the Rohingya humanitarian response in Bangladesh.

More than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees currently live in densely populated camps in the southeastern district of Cox’s Bazar after fleeing violence in Myanmar, while an estimated 568,000 residents of surrounding host communities also rely on humanitarian assistance.

Aid agencies say women and girls in the camps face elevated risks of gender-based violence, child marriage and limited access to reproductive health care. Those vulnerabilities are further compounded by insecurity, climate-related disasters and declining global humanitarian funding for refugee operations.

UNFPA plays a central role in providing health and protection services within the Rohingya camps, operating reproductive health facilities, women-friendly spaces and youth centers aimed at supporting vulnerable groups.

Through those programs, women and girls are able to access emergency obstetric care, midwifery services, psychosocial support, treatment for survivors of sexual violence, and voluntary family planning services.

The agency also distributes dignity kits containing essential hygiene supplies and runs programs intended to strengthen resilience and empowerment among adolescent girls and young women.

According to UNFPA, support from Australia over the past three years has helped the agency reach around 340,000 Rohingya refugees and members of host communities, including more than 7,500 people with disabilities.

Officials say the funding has also contributed to improvements in maternal health outcomes within the refugee camps.

Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned that sustained funding is crucial to maintain essential services in the Rohingya response, one of the world’s largest refugee crises, where large populations remain dependent on international aid nearly a decade after displacement began.