Bangladesh Appeal

The protracted humanitarian crisis among Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh continues with no durable solutions in sight, as the ongoing conflict and instability in Myanmar drives new arrivals into Bangladesh, further adding to and worsening humanitarian needs. Since 2017, the refugee population has increased to 1,156,000 (52 per cent children) due to an unstable security environment in Myanmar that prevents safe and voluntary returns. Reduced funding for the Rohingya response is driving prioritization of interventions and other operational changes. 

Conditions in the congested camps remain dire, with needs increasing as funding declines. Refugees remain highly dependent on external humanitarian aid to meet their basic needs. As a result of funding cuts, up to 236,000 refugee children aged 5–17 were out of school, exposing children to risks such as child labour, child marriage, trafficking and other protection risks. Peaceful coexistence between refugees and host communities is threatened due to decreased funding to provide critical services to both refugees and host communities to promote social cohesion. 

Every year, cyclical drought impacts water availability in Cox's Bazar, exerting additional pressure on humanitarian actors to ensure continued supply of water for drinking and domestic use. At the same time, regular outbreaks of such diseases as dengue, scabies and acute watery diarrhoea, along with malnutrition, continue to affect refugees and host communities, requiring constant vigilance and quality health services for the most vulnerable women and children. 

Bangladesh remains highly exposed to such climate-related disasters as floods, cyclones, landslides and other public health emergencies. These shocks frequently displace communities and disrupt children's education and their access to essential services. 

Vulnerable refugees and women and children impacted by climate-related hazards require safe drinking water, quality health and nutrition services, access to education and learning and protection from risks including child marriage, child labour and trafficking. 

UNICEF will continue delivering quality life-saving interventions in WASH, education, nutrition, child protection, health, social protection and social and behaviour change communication. 

Investments in sustained and innovative solutions for service delivery and systems are essential to address the immediate needs of vulnerable refugees in the camps. It is also crucial to strengthen resilience and promote sustainable development for Rohingya refugees and host communities in this difficult humanitarian context.

UNICEF prioritizes the delivery of critical, life-saving health, nutrition, WASH, education, child protection and social protection interventions, ensuring coherent, efficient and cost-effective approaches. In response to the global funding crisis, UNICEF is adapting key elements of the Rohingya response and national emergency programming to maintain critical life-saving services and focus on the most vulnerable populations, while progressively transitioning towards more sustainable solutions. 

There is a stronger focus on resilience for both refugees and host communities, with a new social contract being developed among key partners, including the Government of Bangladesh, local partners and international community to ensure delivery of essential services that benefit both refugees and host communities. 

For host communities and other vulnerable populations, UNICEF continues to strengthen national and subnational disaster preparedness and response systems to respond rapidly to climate-related shocks, including cyclones and floods, while also building people's resilience. 

UNICEF has elaborated a Minimum Service Package to prioritize and sustain essential, life-saving services for children and women across sectors, in line with the Inter-Sector Coordination Group Joint Response Plan June 2025 prioritization. It emphasizes rationalization and localization through operational efficiencies, integration, co-location of services and the increased engagement of Rohingya volunteers, with approximately 78 per cent of services now delivered by local partners, up from 54 per cent in 2021. 

The 2026 Humanitarian Action for Children appeal ring-fences Priority 1 interventions for Rohingya refugees and critical response activities for vulnerable host communities. It is aligned with the inter-agency response plan for the Rohingya refugee response and the Humanitarian Response Plan for Cyclone and Monsoon Floods in Bangladesh, June 2024 to March 2025.

Humanitarian actors are simplifying the humanitarian coordination structure by reducing and merging the number of sectors and working groups in line with the Humanitarian Reset. This includes merging the health and nutrition clusters, reducing the number of technical working groups and streamlining the Inter-Sector Coordination Group to enhance efficiency. 

UNICEF will implement the primary health care approach for the integration of health and nutrition, ensuring greater efficiency and continuity of essential care for children and women. Various complaints and feedback mechanisms will be integrated to ensure a more systematic and efficient system that enhances safeguarding efforts while community outreaches across various sectors, including health, WASH, nutrition and social and behaviour change, will be strengthened to ensure timely information flow and accountability. 

UNICEF will strengthen activities across the humanitarian–development–peace nexus, enhancing the resilience of communities affected by climate-related disasters and supporting advocacy for Rohingya refugees to be able to acquire portable skills, learning opportunities and key services that prepare them for safe, voluntary and dignified return when conditions allow.