The Australian government and UNICEF signed a A$16 million ($11.4 million) humanitarian assistance agreement on Wednesday to support the Rohingya in Bangladesh amid a serious funding shortage.
Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Susan Ryle and UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh Rana Flowers signed the deal in the presence of Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed as the ministry facilitated the signing at its office in Dhaka, the ministry said in a statement.
Bangladesh is hosting 1.2 million Rohingya in the southeastern coast of Cox's Bazar, the majority of whom fled a Myanmar military crackdown in August 2017.
The Australian grant will be spent on education, nutrition, child protection and safe water, sanitation and hygiene for the Rohingya and local communities.
The agreement is part of Australia's 2026–2028 humanitarian assistance package of 370 million Australian dollars for the Rohingya and local communities in Myanmar and Bangladesh.
It comes at a critical time when funding shortages are putting essential services for refugee children under serious strain, said UNICEF.
"Rohingya children remain among the most vulnerable in the world. Without sustained access to essential services, there is a real risk of a lost generation, a lost culture," said Flowers.
"To ensure these children stay healthy and reach their full potential, long-term support is critical," she added.
Despite progress, however, significant gaps remain. A projected funding shortfall of $13.5 million for priority life-saving activities in 2026 underscores the continued risk to essential services for children and vulnerable families, said UNICEF.
