Rice Donation from Republic of Korea Provides a Major Boost to Food Assistance for Rohingya in Bangladesh

The World Food Programme (WFP) has received a significant rice donation from the Republic of Korea (ROK) for its lifesaving assistance for the Rohingya population in Bangladesh. Today, an official handover ceremony of 15,000 MT of rice from ROK was held at WFP’s Maduchara Logistics Hub in Cox’s Bazar.

Monsoon Rains Trigger Deadly Flash Floods and Landslides in Cox’s Bazar Refugee Camps

UN agencies and the entire humanitarian community are deeply saddened by the tragic deaths of 10 people, including at least seven Rohingya refugees, as heavy monsoon rains battered refugee camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar on Tuesday, causing flash floods and landslides.

About the Rohingya Refugee Response

Large-scale forced displacement of the Rohingya — an ethnic, linguistic, and religious minority from Myanmar’s northern Rakhine State — into Bangladesh has occurred in 1978, 1992, 2012, and again in 2016. On all occasions, Bangladesh has generously sheltered Rohingya refugees temporarily. For the most part on previous occasions, the Rohingya have returned to their ancestral home in Rakhine State.

The largest forced displacement from Myanmar into Bangladesh began in August 2017. As of 29 February 2024, 976,507 Rohingya refugees – largely women and children — are residing in thirty-three camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf Upazilas of the Cox’s Bazar District, as well as on the island of Bhasan Char.

Under the leadership of the Government of Bangladesh, the humanitarian response has supported thousands of refugees since August 2017. Today, 117+ partners including 10 UN agencies 107 international and national NGOs are working closely with the Government in supporting one million Rohingya Refugees and half a million Bangladeshi host communities pending a durable solution.

The collective needs of the Rohingya refugee response for the UN and I/NGOs is outlined in the Joint Response Plan, that is issued annually with the support of the Government.

Joint Response Plan

2025-26 Joint Response Plan: Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis in Bangladesh

Under the leadership of the Bangladesh Government, the 2025-26 Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis was launched on 24 March 2025. This JRP is a two-year fundraising document which articulates the shared vision of how the humanitarian community will respond to the assessed and expressed needs of Rohingya refugees and affected host communities, while introducing more sustainable approaches.

As the refugee crisis enters its eighth year, the UN and its partners call on the international community to extend their support to address the prioritized needs of Rohingya refugees and the Bangladeshi communities that are hosting them. Between January 2025 to December 2025, the JRP requires $934.5 million to reach 1.48 million people, including Rohingya refugees sheltered in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char and Bangladeshi host communities in Ukhiya and Teknaf.

In 2025, the JRP figures include 50,000 confirmed new arrivals who fled more recently to Bangladesh, while an additional 50,000 new arrivals are believed to be living in the Cox’s Bazar camps and are in the process of being biometrically identified.

The 2025-26 JRP is focusing on five key objectives:

  1. Work towards the early, voluntary, and sustainable repatriation of Rohingya refugees/FDMNs to Myanmar.
  2. Strengthen the protection of Rohingya refugee/FDMN women, men, girls, and boys.
  3. Deliver life-saving assistance to populations in need.
  4. Foster the well-being of host communities, including income generation, employment, and access to basic services, with a focus on localization and capacity-building.
  5. Strengthen disaster risk management and combat the effects of climate change.

JRP 2025 brings together 113 partners, including UN Agencies and NGOs, half of which are national organizations from Bangladesh.

1.48 M

People to Assist

$934.5 M

Funding Needed

113

Partners

Sectors in Cox’s Bazar

Education

Food Security

Protection (including CP and GBV)

Health

Shelter - Camp Coordination and Camp Management

Livelihoods and Skills Development

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

Nutrition

Response in Bhasan Char

The Government of Bangladesh has established infrastructural facilities on Bhasan Char and supports the humanitarian community to deliver essential services to Rohingya refugees. On 9 October 2021, the Government of Bangladesh and UNHCR (on behalf of the UN agencies) signed an MOU that established a common policy framework based on protection and humanitarian principles for ongoing and future efforts on Bhasan Char. The MOU affirmed a joint commitment to ensure that Rohingya sheltered on Bhasan Char have access to services including protection, shelter, food and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, health, education in the Myanmar curriculum in the Myanmar language, as well as the ability to engage in livelihoods, capacity building activities, and skills development commensurate with opportunities available in Rakhine State in Myanmar. By the end of December 2022, the Government of Bangladesh had facilitated the voluntary relocation of around 30,000 Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char.

The Rohingya refugee response on Bhasan Char aims to meet the humanitarian and protection needs of the Rohingya. The Rohingya refugee response on Bhasan Char aims to support and complement the work of the Government of Bangladesh, which is leading the overall humanitarian response. The Government in partnership with UN agencies will make best efforts to ensure equity of standards and parity of services for the Rohingya refugees living in Bhasan Char and Cox’s Bazar camps.

Cross-cutting

Accountability to Affected People (AAP)

Emergency Preparedness and Response

Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)

Age and Disability

Energy & Environment

Youth

Cash & Transfers

Gender in Humanitarian Action

Communication and External Relations

Humanitarian Access

Information Management and Assessment

Resources and Data

Who does What Where (3W) in camps and host communities in 2024

Facilities Mapping Dashboard

Facilities Mapping – as of November 2023

Facilities Mapping Dashboard

Coordination Meeting Calendar