Italy Pledges €2.5 Million to Support Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

Photo : UNHCR in Bangladesh

Arakan Now | 28 October 2025

Italy has reaffirmed its solidarity with Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh with a fresh €2.5 million contribution aimed at sustaining critical protection programmes and safeguarding refugee rights.

The funding, provided through the Farnesina, Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and its Directorate General for Migration Policies, will support community-based protection initiatives, efforts to prevent gender-based violence, and strengthen child protection, registration, and documentation services.

“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.”

Italy’s Ambassador to Bangladesh, H.E. Antonio Alessandro, emphasized his country’s long-standing engagement in the humanitarian response:

“Since the beginning of this dire humanitarian emergency, 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.”

Now entering its eighth year, the Rohingya crisis remains one of the world’s most protracted refugee situations. Around 1.16 million refugees continue to live in the densely populated camps of Cox’s Bazarand on Bhasan Char island, where they remain almost entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance for food, shelter, clean water, healthcare, and other essentials.

Since early 2024, an estimated 150,000 Rohingya have fled escalating violence and human rights abuses in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, further deepening humanitarian needs in Bangladesh.

Italy’s renewed commitment comes at a time when global humanitarian funding is in sharp decline, forcing aid agencies to make increasingly difficult choices about which needs to meet — and risking hard-won gains in refugee health, well-being, and self-reliance.