Finland allocates $2.3M for Rohingya in Bangladesh amid funding cuts

Finland has announced a fresh £2 million (approximately $2.23 million) in support for the persecuted Rohingya people taking shelter on the southeast Cox's Bazar coast in Bangladesh amid serious fund cuts.

The UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, on Sunday announced the contribution from Finland to sustain life-saving assistance and protection for Rohingya refugees.

"With this increased contribution, Finland enables UNHCR to fill critical gaps, including in underfunded areas such as skills development and resilience programming," said the UNHCR Dhaka office in a statement.

Nearly a decade after fleeing targeted violence and persecution in Myanmar, 1.2 million Rohingya continue to reside in Bangladesh amid declining global financial support.

As funding falls, the most vulnerable bear the brunt: women and girls, persons with disabilities, older people, and some 150,000 new arrivals since early 2024, who are still without shelters due to a lack of space in the already very congested camps, said the UN agency.

"As the Rohingya response enters a fragile phase — marked by declining funding, worsening camp conditions, rising protection risks, and continued instability in Myanmar — Finland's stepped-up commitment shows great generosity," said Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR representative in Bangladesh.

The 2026 update of the Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis appealed for $710.5 million to reach up to 1.56 million people, including refugees and Bangladeshi host communities.

The appeal, a 26% reduction from the 2025 JRP, covers only the minimum required to sustain lifesaving assistance.