Acting Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) Carl Skau has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to mobilising food assistance for 1.3 million Rohingya refugees sheltered in Bangladesh, stressing that the crisis remains one of the top priorities for the Rome-based UN agency.

The acting WFP chief made the comments when he called on Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday at a hotel in the Italian capital.

The meeting focused primarily on the ongoing Rohingya crisis, famine situations in Gaza and Sudan and the growing challenges in mobilizing funds to combat global hunger affecting tens of millions, said Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder.

Skau praised Prof Yunus for his leadership over the past 15 months, particularly his unwavering efforts to bring international attention back to the Rohingya humanitarian crisis.

Both leaders emphasised the urgent need for increased funding to support the Rohingya refugees residing in camps in Bangladesh.

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Skau commended the September 30 high-level UN meeting on the Rohingya issue—convened at Professor Yunus’s request—stating that it had successfully “brought international attention back to the crisis.”

“It was an important meeting. We must ensure it remains high on the international agenda,” said Skau.

The two also discussed the potential for securing funding from new sources, including wealthy nations and multilateral financial institutions.

Skau noted that, following fresh humanitarian aid commitments from the United States and the United Kingdom announced during the UN high-level meeting in New York, WFP would continue providing the $12 monthly food stipend to each Rohingya refugee.

Professor Yunus expressed appreciation for WFP’s global leadership in combating hunger and famine. He also thanked the UN agency for its support in launching a new school feeding programme in Bangladesh.

“Some Asian countries have made amazing progress with school feeding. We aim to strengthen our efforts, ensuring both quality and gradual expansion,” the Chief Adviser said.

The discussion also touched on the hunger conditions in the world. Skau mentioned WFP’s ongoing efforts to deliver hundreds of food trucks into Gaza, amid rising food insecurity affecting nearly 300 million people globally.

The meeting was attended by Food Adviser Ali Imam Majumder, Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter, SDGs Affairs Principal Coordinator Lamiya Morshed, and Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam.