Delayed Rohingya return deepening fund crisis

Diplomatic Correspondent :

The eight-year delay in Rohingya repatriation has worsened the funding crisis, placing heavy pressure on host communities with no sign of the situation ending.

Amid this situation, the Netherlands has announced €500,000 (about US$540,000) in aid to UNHCR for protection and humanitarian relief for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

The Dutch Embassy in Dhaka says the funds are meant to support food, shelter, healthcare and protection services for those who fled Myanmar.

The Rohingya crisis is worsening rather than easing as repatriation efforts have made almost no progress since August 2017.

Conditions in Rakhine State remain unsafe and the international bodies have said that the Rohingya repatriation is difficult right now until the situation calms down.

Meanwhile, financial support is shrinking just when needs are growing. The United Nations’ Joint Response Plan is far behind in funding, leaving critical services including education, health care, food assistance,
vulnerable or already reduced.

Aid from several Western partners has dropped, and funding shortfalls are translating into real suffering.

Every year more than 20,000 children are born in different camps in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char but they are in grave danger as malnutrition have surged, especially among young Rohingya. Many children are lacking consistent schooling or medical care.

In a bid to end the crisis, Bangladesh government has been continuing its efforts in different international platforms including the United Nations.
United Nations General Assembly will host a high-level conference on the Rohingya crisis this September.

Diplomats and refugees alike expect that donor nations will be called upon to re-commit resources, not just through emergencies but through sustained support.

The UN, aid agencies, the Government of Bangladesh and neighbouring states are under intensifying pressure to find both humanitarian and political solutions.

Experts warn that without fast and meaningful action, the system could collapse.

Recently Raouf Mazou, the UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations, said in Cox’s Bazar that “while Bangladesh continues to provide a global public good … it has become increasingly difficult to mobilize the resources required.”

He emphasised that nearly half of the first year of the Joint Response Plan remained unfunded, and that services like education and health have already been scaled back.

UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch told reporters in Geneva that “there is a huge gap in terms of what we need and what resources are available.

These funding gaps will affect the daily living of Rohingya refugees as they depend on humanitarian support on a daily basis for food, health and education.”

He warned that essential services risk collapsing unless additional funds are secured.

Another expert, the WFP Country Director in Bangladesh, Dom Scalpelli, emphasised that “any reduction in food assistance will push them deeper into hunger and force them to resort to desperate measures just to survive.”

He pleaded for urgent funding to avert massive cuts to rations.
The Netherlands’ €500,000 pledge is thus welcome, but it underscores the sheer scale of the humanitarian challenge.

For many Rohingya, safe, dignified return seems farther away than ever. Draft law cleared (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 (Act No. 13 of 1991) and the Election Commission Secretariat Act, 2009 (Act No. 5 of 2009),” he said.

He added that the amendments will make the Election Commission’s functions more dynamic while ensuring accountability of officials involved in election management.

“In particular, the provisions for punishment in cases of negligence of duty during elections have been made clearer,” he noted.

According to the press secretary, significant changes have been made to sections 2, 5, and 6 of the Election Officers (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.

These include redefining the term “election officer,” updating disciplinary provisions, and adding new subsections.

Meanwhile, the Advisory Council also granted final approval, in principle, to the draft of the Financial Laws (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, prepared under the NBR.

Under this ordinance, the Value Added Tax (VAT) and Supplementary Duty Act, 2012 has been revised to allow VAT exemptions in specific cases through special orders.

Additionally, the Income Tax Act, 2023 has been amended to increase the withholding tax on investments in government or approved securities by corporate taxpayers from 10 percent to 15 percent.

A new provision has also been introduced to treat tax collection from commercially operated buses and transport businesses as final taxable income, the press secretary said.

On other matters, Shafiqul Alam said the meeting discussed reform activities in detail.

The Council reviewed progress on 77 key reform proposals out of 121 adopted earlier – of which 24 have already been implemented, 14 partially implemented, and the remainder are in progress.

At the meeting, the Chief Adviser directed all ministries and divisions to prepare and submit lists of reforms they have completed independently, alongside those recommended by the Reform Commission.

He expressed hope that these progress reports would be submitted to the Cabinet Division by the beginning of next month.

The Cabinet Division will then compile and publish the information as a booklet for public dissemination, the press secretary said.