The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), has donated 667 metric tonnes of dates to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to support Rohingya refugee children living in Bangladesh.

At a handover ceremony held in Dhaka on Thursday, officials from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, KSrelief and WFP marked this contribution.

The dates will offer much-needed nourishment to Rohingya children attending learning centres as part of WFP’s school feeding programme, which supports 250,000 children going to 3,500 learning centres in both Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char.

WFP said it urgently requires USD 106 million for its critical Rohingya operations over the next 12 months. Of these, USD 83 million are required to maintain full rations for the entire Rohingya refugee population in Bangladesh.

While over one million Rohingya refugees remain entirely dependent on humanitarian aid, malnutrition rates within the refugee camps are alarmingly high, reaching over 15 percent among children under five, and rising to 20 percent among children under two.

Saudi Arabia’s contribution comes at a critical time. In March, a funding crisis nearly forced WFP to reduce rations by half starting in April.

Bangladesh, Malaysia begin Joint Working Group meeting on legal labour migration

Thanks to timely support, WFP has been able to avert devastating food ration cuts and maintain the full ration, currently USD 12 per person per month in Cox’s Bazar and USD 13 in Bhasan Char, for over one million Rohingya refugees.

However, current funding only secures this assistance until the end of September 2025.

"We are proud to stand with the Rohingya people and to support WFP’s efforts to deliver vital food assistance," said, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Dhaka, Abdulaziz Fahad M. Al Ibrahim.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through KSrelief, reaffirms its commitment to humanitarian principles and to helping vulnerable communities around the world."

“Providing nutritious food to Rohingya children is essential not only for their health, but for their hope and dignity,” said Dom Scalpelli, WFP Bangladesh Country Director.

“We are deeply grateful to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their steadfast support. The Rohingya crisis remains one of the world’s most urgent humanitarian emergencies, and continued international solidarity is critical to sustaining lifesaving assistance.”

Saudi Arabia has been a longstanding supporter of WFP’s humanitarian efforts for the Rohingya since 2017, providing both cash and in-kind contributions to sustain food assistance in one of the world’s largest refugee operations.