Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char, Bangladesh
On 11 March 2026, the Government of Japan announced a new humanitarian contribution of 16.5 million dollars to support Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh, channeling the funds through major United Nations agencies operating in the country’s two principal refugee zones Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char.
The funding will be distributed through UNICEF, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Each agency is expected to deploy resources across a broad spectrum of essential humanitarian services, addressing critical gaps that continue to affect nearly 1.2 million Rohingya refugees currently sheltering in Bangladesh.
According to officials familiar with the disbursement plan, the assistance is designed to cover food security and nutrition support, primary health and medical services, child education, clean water and sanitation, protection services specifically for women and girls, shelter repair and reconstruction materials, clean cooking fuel supplies, and agricultural support for host community farmers whose livelihoods have been strained by the prolonged refugee presence in the region.
Japan framed the announcement in terms of resilience-building, stating that the funding aims not only to preserve lives in the immediate term but also to strengthen the capacity of both refugee and host communities to withstand future shocks. The statement underscored Japan’s long-standing commitment to the region, noting that since the Rohingya crisis sharply escalated in August 2017, Tokyo has contributed more than 250 million dollars in cumulative humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees and affected communities across Bangladesh.
The scale and duration of the Rohingya crisis continue to place exceptional pressure on Bangladesh’s southern districts. Cox’s Bazar hosts the world’s largest refugee settlement, where overcrowding, inadequate infrastructure, and persistent funding shortfalls have left families dependent on international assistance for basic survival. The situation at Bhasan Char an island facility where tens of thousands of refugees have been relocated also remains under close international scrutiny regarding access to services and freedom of movement.
Japan also confirmed it would continue active coordination with the Government of Bangladesh, UN agencies, and international humanitarian partners, with an eye toward not only sustaining current services but also pursuing a durable, long-term solution to the crisis one that would allow Rohingya refugees to eventually return to their places of origin under conditions of safety, voluntariness, and dignity.
The announcement was welcomed by humanitarian organizations operating in Cox’s Bazar, many of which have faced acute funding deficits in recent months as global attention has shifted to other crisis zones. Aid workers noted that Japan’s contribution represents one of the more substantial bilateral commitments made in the current funding cycle and provides a degree of operational stability for programs that serve the most vulnerable segments of the refugee population.
