Italy donates EUR 2.5mn for essential assistance to Rohingyas

The government of Italy on Tuesday renewed its commitment to Rohingya refugees with a EUR 2.5 million contribution to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, bolstering life-saving assistance and protection in Bangladesh.

The fresh funding was granted by Farnesina, Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and its Directorate General for Migration Policies.

It will help sustain critical community-based protection programmes and initiatives to prevent gender-based violence and strengthen child protection, and uphold refugee rights through continued registration and documentation, said the UN refugee agency.

“Italy remains a steadfast supporter of the Rohingya refugee response,” said Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Bangladesh.

“This generous contribution from the Italian people will help meet Rohingya refugees’ most urgent needs and
provide vital protection against the challenges and threats of life in the world’s largest refugee camp. At a time of growing humanitarian strain, community-based protection services are essential to preserving dignity and self-reliance in a fragile setting.”

Since the beginning of this dire humanitarian emergency, Antonio Alessandro, Ambassador of Italy to
Bangladesh said Italy has supported the efforts of the international community within the framework of the Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis, to help ensure dignity for Rohingya refugees, as well as hope for the future.

“In this respect, we welcome Bangladesh’s commitment to engaging with relevant stakeholders and seeking a solution to this protracted crisis,” he said.

Now entering its eighth year, the Rohingya crisis remains one of the world’s most protracted refugee situations.

Some 1.16 million refugees continue to live in the densely populated camps of Cox’s Bazar and on the island of Bhasan Char, where they are almost entirely reliant on humanitarian assistance for food, shelter, clean water, healthcare, and other basic needs.

Among them, an estimated 150,000 Rohingya found safety in the camps since early 2024, after having been forced to flee continuous violence and human rights violations in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, deepening humanitarian needs in Bangladesh.

Italy’s renewed commitment comes as global humanitarian funding continues to
fall, forcing aid agencies to make increasingly difficult choices on which needs to meet – and potentially losing hard-won gains in refugee health, well-being and self-reliance.