Norway has renewed its support for Rohingya refugees with a contribution of USD 1 million to fund humanitarian assistance and protection services.
The funding, part of Norway’s 2025–2026 support to UNHCR’s global budget, is crucial to ensuring that the organisation can continue delivering life-saving assistance and respond to growing protection and humanitarian needs, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, said in a media release on Sunday.
“Declining humanitarian funding in 2025 has already forced difficult prioritisation and reductions in essential services, increasing vulnerability in the refugee camps,” it said.
The UN Refugee Agency welcomed the generous contribution of USD 1 million from the government of Norway in support of nearly 1.2 million Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh.
“Now into the ninth year of the crisis, the Rohingya people need international support more than ever to sustain well-being and keep hope alive,” said Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Bangladesh.
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Freijsen went on to say, “The Norwegian contribution will help strengthen the refugees’ resilience through education, skills development and livelihood opportunities, and support their self-reliance until they can return to Myanmar voluntarily, in dignity and safety.”
“Norway and UNHCR share a common vision of refugee protection that is rights-based, principled, multilateral and future-oriented. In the Rohingya response, this means being a predictable partner that emphasises rights, works to preserve dignity and supports long-term solutions,” said Norwegian Ambassador to Bangladesh Håkon Arald Gulbrandsen.
“Norway is proud to support UNHCR in its work to strengthen the resilience and protection of Rohingya women, men, girls and boys, in line with humanitarian principles,” he added.
Norway also contributes to joint programmes such as SAFE+2, which provides refugees with sustainable cooking fuel, reducing reliance on firewood, easing pressure on the natural environment surrounding the camps and improving safety and health conditions, particularly for women and children.
Globally, 71 per cent of refugees are hosted by low- and middle-income countries like Bangladesh. Sustained and predictable support remains indispensable for refugee populations and their host communities to alleviate the burden of displacement, especially amid reduced funding for humanitarian responses.
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UNHCR and its partners, in collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh, are preparing to launch the 2026 updated Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis.
In recent years, Norway has been a leading partner in flexible funding for UNHCR and refugees, contributing more than USD 55.2 million in core support to the Rohingya response since 2017.