South Korea provides USD 5 million to sustain life-saving assistance for Rohingyas

The Republic of Korea has contributed USD 5 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to help sustain life-saving food assistance, nutrition services and school feeding for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

The contribution, officially announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of Korea (ROK) in July, comes at a critical time for the Rohingya response, said the WFP on Monday.

Over 1.3 million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char continue to depend on humanitarian assistance, while food insecurity, malnutrition and other vulnerabilities remain high and humanitarian funding is increasingly stretched.

The new funding will enable WFP to support more than 462,000 Rohingya refugees that includes life-saving food assistance for vulnerable families, nutrition support for more than 36,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women, and school feeding for 260,000 children attending learning centres.

The funding will also support the second phase of REACH (Responding with Emergency Assistance for Conflict-affected Households), a flagship humanitarian initiative of the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, implemented in partnership with WFP.

In Bangladesh, REACH supports efforts to strengthen humanitarian assistance for vulnerable communities affected by conflict and displacement.

Through WFP’s e-voucher system, Rohingya families can choose the food they need with greater dignity and flexibility.

Nutrition services help pregnant and breastfeeding women access nutritious foods and treatment when malnutrition is identified.

The school feeding programme provides children with nutritious fortified food on school days, helping address their nutritional needs while encouraging regular attendance and continued participation in learning.

“Having once received international support, the Republic of Korea is proud to now stand alongside WFP in supporting people affected by humanitarian crises around the world, including Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh,” said Kim Ji-joon, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Bangladesh on Monday.

“Through this partnership, we remain committed to protecting vulnerable communities and contributing to our shared global humanitarian efforts.”

“As the Rohingya crisis approaches its tenth year, continued international support is essential to protect lives, uphold dignity and ensure that children and families can meet their basic food and nutrition needs,” said Coco Ushiyama, WFP Representative and Country Director in Bangladesh.

“We are deeply grateful to the Government and people of the Republic of Korea for standing with the Rohingya at this critical time.”

The Republic of Korea and WFP have been partners for more than 60 years, with their cooperation dating back to 1964.

In Bangladesh, ROK has provided significant cash and in-kind support to WFP’s humanitarian operations. With the latest USD 5 million contribution, ROK’s cash contributions through the e-voucher modality to WFP’s humanitarian operations in Bangladesh have reached USD 11.9 million.

As the Rohingya crisis continues and humanitarian resources come under increasing pressure, sustained and predictable international support remains essential to ensure that Rohingya families can continue to access food, nutrition and education support and live with dignity. -UNB