Japan provides $3.4m to WFP for Rohingya, host communities

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a contribution of nearly $3.4 million (JPY 500 million) from the Government of Japan to support life-saving assistance for Rohingya refugees and vulnerable host communities.

"Japan stands firmly with Bangladesh and the international community in meeting the basic needs of the Rohingya population and supporting the most vulnerable members of host communities, particularly women and children," said Ambassador Saida. "We are deeply concerned about the growing needs in the camps and the acute shortage of humanitarian assistance. Japan remains committed to working with WFP and all partners to prevent the crisis from worsening and to ensure a long-term solution where Rohingya can return to Myanmar safely and with dignity."

With this support, WFP will provide monthly food and nutrition assistance to more than 100,000 Rohingya refugees and 2,000 Bangladeshis. Families will receive e-vouchers to purchase rice, lentils and vegetables from camp shops. Young children and pregnant or breastfeeding women both inside and outside the camps will receive specialised nutritional support.

Since early 2024, intensified conflict in Myanmar's Rakhine State has driven about 150,000 new Rohingya into the camps, pushing the total population to more than 1.1 million. Severe funding shortfalls threaten food, nutrition, healthcare, education and protection services. Unless at least $60 million is secured for the next six months and $167 million over the next year, WFP's food assistance will face serious disruptions from December 2025.

"We are profoundly grateful for Japan's steadfast partnership and the generosity of its people," said WFP Bangladesh Country Director Dom Scalpelli. "The crisis has reached a critical juncture. We urge all partners to step forward before conditions in the camps deteriorate further. At WFP, we remain committed to maximising every dollar with full transparency and value for money."

WFP has achieved nearly $19 million in savings through programme optimisation, financial and logistics efficiencies, and inter-agency cost-sharing. Currently, 82 cents of every dollar goes directly to refugee assistance, up from 71 cents in mid-2023.

Since the onset of the emergency in 2017, Japan has contributed more than $240 million to the Rohingya response in Bangladesh, supporting WFP, UN agencies and NGOs.