Australia pledges AUD 16.5m to support Rohingyas

The government of Australia has committed AUD 16.5 million in new funding to support Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh through a multi-year agreement with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The funding, covering 2026–2028, will help sustain critical services including sexual and reproductive healthcare, prevention and response to gender-based violence, and programmes for adolescents and youth in the Rohingya camps of Cox’s Bazar.

According to a UNFPA statement, the agreement marks the third multi-year flexible funding partnership between Australia and the UN agency, reaffirming Canberra’s continued support for protecting the lives and rights of Rohingya refugees and vulnerable host communities.

Currently, more than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees live in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, alongside about 568,000 people in surrounding host communities who also require humanitarian assistance.
Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Susan Ryle said the funding reflects Australia’s commitment to predictable humanitarian assistance.

“Australia is proud to work with UNFPA. This multi-year investment helps save lives, protect women and girls, and support communities facing displacement,
insecurity and climate-related shocks,” she said.

UNFPA, which plays a leading role in the Rohingya humanitarian response, operates reproductive health facilities, women-friendly spaces and youth centres across the camps.

These services provide emergency obstetric care, midwifery support, psychosocial counselling, clinical care for survivors of rape, family planning services and dignity kits.

With Australia’s previous support, UNFPA has reached about 340,000 Rohingya and host community women and girls over the past three years, including more than 7,500 persons with disabilities, and contributed to a reduction in maternal deaths in the camps. Catherine Breen-Kamkong said flexible multi-year funding is crucial in responding to a crisis of such scale and complexity.

“Australia’s partnership helps ensure that no woman gives birth without support, no survivor is left without services, and no adolescent is forgotten,” she said.

The new agreement aligns with the Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis and the Australia-Bangladesh Development Partnership Plan 2025–2030, aimed at strengthening humanitarian and development cooperation between the two countries.