London, UK – The World Food Programme (WFP) will slash food assistance for nearly one million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, starting April 1, 2025 due to severe funding shortages. The cuts will reduce monthly food vouchers from $12.50 to $6 per person, worsening food insecurity and forcing many refugees to survive on dangerously inadequate nutrition in already dire conditions. The Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN) calls on donor governments to take immediate action to prevent a worsening humanitarian disaster.

“The international community is failing Rohingya refugees at a time when they need support the most,” said Kyaw Win, Executive Director of BHRN. “These cuts will leave families struggling to survive on dangerously low food rations, pushing children into severe malnutrition and exposing thousands to preventable deaths. The world has abandoned the Rohingya once before—we cannot let it happen again.” Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar depend entirely on humanitarian aid for survival, as Bangladesh denies them the right to work and severely restricts their movement.

Successive aid cuts have already caused severe hardship among Rohingya refugees, who are reliant on aid and suffer from rampant malnutrition. Malnutrition rates among children have reached emergency levels, with many families forced to skip meals or rely on unsafe coping mechanisms. According to the UN, a previous reduction in rations in 2023 left 90 percent of refugees struggling to access adequate food, forcing many to skip meals or rely on unsafe coping mechanisms.

The Rohingya Humanitarian Joint Response Plan for 2025 remains severely underfunded. BHRN urges donor governments to commit to restoring full rations for refugees and to develop a sustainable funding strategy to prevent future cuts. While funding shortages affect refugee populations globally, the international community must ensure that the Rohingya do not continue to bear the brunt of these shortfalls. The recurring crisis underscores the urgent need for a coordinated response that guarantees uninterrupted humanitarian assistance, including food aid.

The funding gap is due to a broad shortfall in donations rather than solely a result of the Trump administration’s decision to cut foreign aid globally, the WFP said. However, the recent abrupt halt to most US foreign aid will impact health facilities in the Rohingya camps, further straining an already dire situation. The United States and the United Kingdom—historically among the largest donors—have cut foreign aid budgets in recent months, worsening the funding gap. The UN says an additional $81 million is needed to prevent the ration reductions. Without urgent intervention, Rohingya families will be left without sufficient food, further jeopardizing their health and well-being. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on Friday said he feared a decrease in donor support would put the lives of thousands at risk. “If donor support decreases dramatically – which may happen – the huge work done by the Bangladesh government, aid agencies and refugees will be impacted, putting thousands at risk of hunger, disease and insecurity,” Filippo Grandi posted on X.

“Governments that claim to uphold human rights must act now,” said Kyaw Win. “The Rohingya have endured genocide, displacement, and continued deprivation. The least the international community can do is ensure they do not go hungry.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is scheduled to visit Cox’s Bazar in the coming days. BHRN calls on him to push for emergency funding commitments and a long-term plan to prevent future aid cuts.

Organisation’s Background

BHRN is based in London and operates across Burma/Myanmar working for human rights, minority rights and religious freedom in the country. BHRN has played a crucial role in advocating for human rights and religious freedom with politicians and world leaders.

Ye Min
Editor
Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN)
E: [email protected]
T: +66(0) 994 942 358

Wai Yan
Researcher
Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN)
E: [email protected]

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