USAID pledges $121 million for Rohingya crisis relief

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has secured a substantial $121 million grant from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance to reinforce its efforts in addressing the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh.

This latest US contribution includes both financial and in-kind support aimed at assisting the Rohingya refugees and local host communities, according to a press release issued by WFP.

The funds will be directed towards essential food and nutrition aid, resilience-building initiatives, and disaster risk reduction efforts in the refugee camps. Additionally, assistance will be provided to children and pregnant or breastfeeding women in host communities to help prevent and treat malnutrition.

The USAID grant will also enable WFP to offer immediate relief during emergencies such as cyclones, floods, landslides, or fires, by providing hot meals and fortified biscuits to affected Rohingya families.

Reed Aeschliman, USAID mission director in Bangladesh, highlighted the ongoing US commitment to supporting the Rohingya crisis.

“The United States remains at the forefront of this critical humanitarian response, supporting over one million Rohingya refugees. The needs of these refugees and their host communities must continue to be a global priority,” he said.

Now in its eighth year, the Rohingya population in Bangladesh continues to face severe challenges, including restrictions on movement, unemployment, and increasing security risks. In 2023, WFP was compelled to cut food rations, reducing the per capita support from USD 12 to USD 8 due to a funding shortfall.

This led to a significant drop in food consumption among refugee families in the camps, with global acute malnutrition (GAM) levels rising to 15.1%—surpassing the emergency threshold, according to WHO standards. This marks the highest rate of malnutrition since the 2017 influx of Rohingya refugees.

With the new funding, WFP restored food rations to USD 12.50 per person in early 2024. However, the organisation still requires an additional USD 80 million to sustain the increased rations.

Dom Scalpelli, WFP country director, urged other international donors to step up their support for the Rohingya population, stressing the importance of sustained global assistance.