Dhaka: Japan has signed a new agreement with Unicef, providing $1.4 million to deliver life-saving support to Rohingya refugee children and their families in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char. The funding aims to assist more than 56,500 refugees, including over 36,000 children, through critical services in education, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), nutrition, and health.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the agreement was signed by Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Saida Shinichi and Unicef Representative in Bangladesh Rana Flowers in Dhaka. Ambassador Saida expressed that the new assistance comes at a time of declining global humanitarian funding. He highlighted the focus on essential services like education, WASH, nutrition, and health, reflecting Japan’s long-standing partnership with Unicef and commitment to human security. The support is expected to enhance the resilience and dignity of both Rohingya refugees and host communities.
Now entering its ninth year, the Rohingya crisis remains one of the world’s largest and most protracted humanitarian situations. Overcrowded camps, disease outbreaks, malnutrition, and limited access to learning spaces continue to pose significant risks to children. Rana Flowers noted that Rohingya children face daily challenges ranging from disease and malnutrition to disrupted education. The aid from the Government of Japan will help keep children healthy and in learning, promote skill-building pathways, and equip families to better care for their youngest children, marking it as a vital investment in children’s survival, dignity, and future.
The agreement will see Unicef expanding access to the Myanmar Curriculum on Bhasan Char and supporting formal education and skills training for adolescents in Cox’s Bazar. The partnership also aims to strengthen safe water supply systems and sanitation facilities to curb outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and dengue. Additionally, hygiene supplies, including soap and menstrual hygiene materials, will be distributed to households to support public health and gender equity.
Aligned with Japan’s global advocacy for universal health coverage, the support will scale up services to prevent and treat child malnutrition and improve maternal and newborn health care. This includes services at the Newborn Stabilisation Unit on Bhasan Char and primary health centres in Cox’s Bazar. Since the onset of the Rohingya emergency in August 2017, Japan has contributed over $250 million to UN agencies and NGOs in Bangladesh for the refugee response, including around $47 million through Unicef to support Rohingya children and families.