Australia announces $17.74M support for Rohingya, host communities in Bangladesh

The Australian government and UN refugee agency on Monday announced AU$25.25 million (about $17.74 million) in support for Rohingya and host communities along the southeastern coast of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh amid shrinking global humanitarian funding.

This multi-year funding, part of Australia’s 2026-28 humanitarian assistance, will be used to sustain life-saving assistance, support skills development and fund disaster risk reduction measures in Rohingya camps, the UNHCR Dhaka office said in a statement.

The announcement was made in the capital, Dhaka, in the presence of Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and Australian Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs and Assistant Minister for International Education Hon Julian Hill.

“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,” said Julian Hill.

“Nearly nine years on, the Rohingya crisis risks fading from global attention as new emergencies emerge elsewhere,” said Juliette Murekeyisoni, UNHCR Representative in Bangladesh.

Since widespread persecution forced hundreds of thousands of refugees to seek safety in Bangladesh in 2017, around 1.2 million Rohingya refugees remain displaced there, most in overcrowded refugee camps near Cox’s Bazar.

Rohingya rely almost entirely on humanitarian assistance while persistent funding gaps have deepened vulnerabilities, including the need to undertake dangerous sea journeys, said UNHCR, adding that nearly 900 Rohingya refugees went missing or died in 2025 while attempting perilous crossings in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal.