Saudi Arabia donates 667 tonnes of dates to support rohingya refugee children

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has donated 667 metric tonnes of dates to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to bolster nutrition support for Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh. 

The donation, facilitated through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), was officially handed over at a ceremony held in Dhaka yesterday (21 May).

Officials from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, KSrelief, and WFP were present at the event to mark the contribution, which comes at a critical time for the Rohingya refugee response, according 

The dates will be distributed to children attending learning centres as part of WFP's school feeding programme, which currently supports 250,000 children across 3,500 centres in Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char.

"We are proud to stand with the Rohingya people and to support WFP's efforts to deliver vital food assistance," said Abdulaziz Fahad M Al Ibrahim, Chargé d'Affaires of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Dhaka. 

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through KSrelief, reaffirms its commitment to humanitarian principles and to helping vulnerable communities around the world."

With over one million Rohingya refugees fully dependent on humanitarian aid, malnutrition remains a serious concern. Recent data shows malnutrition rates exceed 15% among children under five, and reach as high as 20% among those under two years of age.

The Saudi donation arrives as the WFP continues to face an urgent funding crisis. In March, the agency was on the verge of cutting food rations in half starting April. However, with timely support from donor countries, WFP managed to avert the cut and maintain full monthly rations — USD 12 per person in Cox's Bazar and USD 13 in Bhasan Char — for over a million refugees.

"Providing nutritious food to Rohingya children is essential not only for their health, but for their hope and dignity," said WFP Bangladesh Country Director Dom Scalpelli. 

"We are deeply grateful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its steadfast support. The Rohingya crisis remains one of the world's most urgent humanitarian emergencies, and continued international solidarity is critical to sustaining lifesaving assistance."

Saudi Arabia has been a key donor to the WFP's Rohingya response since 2017, offering both cash and in-kind contributions.

Despite current support, WFP still requires USD 106 million to sustain its Rohingya operations over the next 12 months, including USD 83 million specifically to maintain full food rations.