Rohingya response: the 2026 appeal is a quarter smaller and still underfunded

News · Humanitarian · Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char

The 2026 update of the Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis seeks $710.5 million to reach up to 1.56 million people. That includes Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar and on Bhasan Char, and Bangladeshi host communities. The figure is 26 percent below the 2025 appeal of $934.5 million.

The funding picture

• When the update was presented at UN House in Dhaka in May, officials reported a 37 percent funding gap even against the reduced appeal.
• Donors met 46 percent of the 2025 appeal, according to Oxfam, citing OCHA data.
• Oxfam says nearly 1.2 million Rohingya refugees now live in Bangladesh, including around 150,000 who arrived after renewed violence in Myanmar since early 2024.
• Oxfam reports that cuts have already reduced services in water, sanitation and hygiene, food, health and protection.

Recent pledges

On 8 October, the US chargé d’affaires told Bangladesh’s foreign ministry that Washington would increase its assistance for the Rohingya response. The reported statement did not give an amount. Germany has pledged an additional €2 million for work on livelihoods and social cohesion between refugees and host communities in Cox’s Bazar, according to a 19 October report citing The Business Standard. Devlens has not yet seen the signed agreement.

Why it matters

A smaller appeal that is still well short of funding means partners are prioritising the most basic services. Organisations working in the camps and host communities should expect continued pressure on staffing, partner agreements and longer-term programmes, and more competition for the funding that remains.

What to watch

• Whether the US increase translates into a disclosed figure and which sectors it covers.
• Planning for the 2027 response and how far it is scaled back again.
• Repatriation diplomacy and its effect on donor appetite for multi-year funding.

Sources

• The Business Standard: Rohingya plan faces 37% funding gap
• Oxfam press release on the crisis entering its tenth year
• Dhaka Tribune: US decides to increase Rohingya humanitarian assistance, 8 October 2026
• Muslim Network TV: Germany pledges additional funding, 19 October 2026
• UNHCR Operational Data Portal: Bangladesh

Main image: Rohingya refugee camps on the hills of Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar. Photo: Md shameem ul islam / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.