Australia, UNICEF sign deal worth Tk 137cr for Rohingya

The agreement was signed at the Secretariat in presence of Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed.

Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Susan Ryle and UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh Rana Flowers signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations.

The agreement signed aimed at improving the living standards of the Rohingya and host communities.

The Home Minister said, "I am immensely delighted to be present at the agreement signing ceremony between the Government of Australia and UNICEF as part of the humanitarian assistance activities for the Rohingya and host communities."

The Minister expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Australian Government for this cooperation.

He hoped that such assistance from the international community, including Australia, would continue until the voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingya to Myanmar is achieved.

Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Manzur Morshed Chowdhury, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Australian High Commission, and UNICEF Bangladesh, were present at the signing ceremony.

It is mentioned that this agreement is part of Australia's 370 million Australian Dollar (BDT 3,162 crore) humanitarian assistance package to Myanmar and Rohingya and Host Communities in Bangladesh for the 2026-2028 period.

Notably, since 2017, Australia has provided a total of 1.26 billion Australian Dollars (BDT 10,770 crore) including this in humanitarian assistance to address this regional crisis. UNICEF will utilize this 16 million dollar fund provided by Australia for education, nutrition, child protection, and safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sectors for the Rohingya and host communities, reports UNB.