Staff Reporter:
Finland has contributed 2 million euro to support Rohingyas in Bangladesh, helping sustain life-saving assistance and protection services amid growing humanitarian needs and funding challenges.
The contribution, announced by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), will help address critical funding gaps, including support for skills development and resilience-building programmes for Rohingyas, said a press release on Sunday.
Nearly a decade after fleeing persecution and violence in Myanmar, around 1.2 million stateless Rohingya continue to live in Bangladesh, largely dependent on humanitarian assistance due to limited livelihood opportunities.
According to UNHCR, only 23% of Rohingya households earned income through cash-for-work programmes in 2025, while 42% relied on temporary and unstable sources of income and 35% had no income source at all.
The agency said declining humanitarian funding is disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups, including women and girls, persons with disabilities, older people and around 150,000 new arrivals who have entered Bangladesh since early 2024.
“Finland’s stepped-up commitment shows great generosity at a time when the Rohingya response is facing declining funding, worsening camp conditions and rising protection risks,” said Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR representative in Bangladesh.
He said the contribution reaffirmed the international community’s collective responsibility to protect Rohingya families and support them until conditions in Myanmar permit their voluntary, safe and dignified return.
Mari Ahmed, charge d’affaires of the Embassy of Finland in New Delhi, said Finland stands in solidarity with both Bangladesh and the Rohingya people.
She stressed the importance of investing not only in basic assistance but also in skills development, resilience-building initiatives and support for the most vulnerable refugees while ensuring that the crisis remains on the global agenda.
The contribution comes as the United Nations and its humanitarian partners seek renewed international support following the launch of the 2026 update of the Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis on 20 May.
The revised appeal seeks USD$710.5 million to assist up to 1.56 million people, including Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi host communities.
Although the appeal represents a 26% reduction from the 2025 plan and covers only essential life-saving assistance, it has already secured 60% of the required funding.
Finland has long supported humanitarian efforts and multilateral initiatives for forcibly displaced populations worldwide. In addition to the Rohingya response contribution, Finland is providing UNHCR with 7 million euro in flexible core funding for 2026 to support emergency responses and operations in underfunded crises globally.
UNHCR said sustained international engagement and financial support remain essential to strengthen Bangladesh’s response and ensure that Rohingya refugees and host communities continue to receive critical assistance until a durable solution is achieved.
