WFP seeks emergency funding to prevent ration cuts to Rohingya refugees

The United Nations World Food Programme, or WFP, has warned of a “critical funding shortfall” for its emergency response operations in Bangladesh, jeopardising food assistance for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

In a statement on Friday, the WFP said monthly rations must be halved to $6 per person, down from $12.50, without urgent new funding – just as refugees prepare to observe Eid, marking the end of Ramadan.

The change will take effect on Apr 1, according to a WFP letter to Bangladesh on Wednesday.

“All Rohingya receive vouchers that are redeemed for their choice of food at designated retailers in the camps. To sustain full rations, WFP urgently requires US$15 million for April, and US$81 million until the end of 2025,” Friday’s statement read.

"The Rohingya refugee crisis remains one of the world's largest and most protracted,” said Dom Scalpelli, WFP country director in Bangladesh.

“Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh remain entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance for their survival. Any reduction in food assistance will push them deeper into hunger and force them to resort to desperate measures just to survive,” he added.

In recent months, new waves of Rohingya refugees, potentially exceeding 100,000 people, have crossed into Bangladesh, fleeing conflict in neighbouring Myanmar.

The continued influx of Rohingya seeking safety places an even greater strain on already overstretched resources and the WFP already started communicating with the Rohingya community about the potential ration cuts, the WFP said.

“Now more than ever, the Rohingya need us to stand with them. These families have nowhere else to go, and WFP’s food aid is the difference between survival and despair. Immediate support is urgently needed to prevent this crisis from escalating further," added Scalpelli.

In 2023, severe funding constraints forced WFP to reduce rations from $12 to $8 per person each month, leading to a sharp decline in food consumption and the worst levels of malnutrition among children since 2017 – reaching over 15 percent – above the emergency threshold, according to the WFP.

Rations were later increased when funding was received.

For a population with no legal status, no freedom of movement outside the camps, and no sustainable livelihood opportunities, further cuts will exacerbate protection and security risks, the organisation added.

As in 2023, women and girls, in particular, may face heightened risks of exploitation, trafficking, prostitution, and domestic violence it warned.

“Children may be pulled out of school and forced into child labour, while girls may be married off at a young age as families resort to desperate measures to survive,” the statement read.

The WFP noted that refugee populations across the globe are often the first to face cuts to aid, despite being among the most vulnerable. As funding shortfalls grow and needs continue to rise, the Rohingya and many other communities are left with fewer resources to survive.