KHANI Bangladesh petitions UN to restore full food rations for Rohingya

KHANI Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Food Security Network, has petitioned UN Secretary-General António Guterres, urging immediate action to address the funding crisis and restore full food rations for Rohingya refugees until they are safely repatriated.

The appeal, signed by over 110 national and international organizations, highlights the urgent need for sustained food assistance and long-term solutions for self-sufficiency.

Organisations and individuals, including FIAN Indonesia, FIAN Switzerland, ADAB, ALRD, CSRL, ActionAid Australia, ActionAid Bangladesh, BARCIK, COAST Foundation, Cox’s Bazar Civil Society Forum (CCNF), INCIDIN Bangladesh, NGO Forum on ADB, and many others working on human rights, have signed the petition.

The World Food Programme (WFP) recently warned that without urgent funding, monthly food rations per Rohingya will be slashed from $12.50 to $6.00 per day.

KHANI Bangladesh has expressed deep concern, warning that such reductions could severely exacerbate the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the refugee camps. 

According to the petition, Rohingya refugees remain entirely dependent on humanitarian aid, making food assistance critical. Malnutrition has surged in 2025, with child malnutrition rates exceeding 15 per cent and severe acute malnutrition cases rising by 25 per cent in January alone. Another 27 per cent increase was recorded in February, highlighting the urgency of immediate intervention, the petition said.

KHANI Bangladesh General Secretary Nurul Alam Masud stated that food insecurity could lead to increased trafficking, arrests, and deaths, destabilizing both the camps and surrounding communities.

Vice President Rezaul Siddiqi Rana called the food ration cut a "great betrayal" by wealthy nations.

COAST Foundation’s Executive Director Rezaul Karim Chowdhury warned that food scarcity could trigger social unrest, internal conflicts, and the displacement of local workers.

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