An agreement worth 16 million Australian dollars (approximately BDT 137 crore) was signed on Wednesday between the Australian government and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to improve the living standards of Rohingya and host communities in Bangladesh.
The agreement was signed at the conference room of the Ministry of Home Affairs at the Bangladesh Secretariat in the presence of Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed.
Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Susan Ryle and UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh Rana Flowers signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides.
Expressing heartfelt gratitude to the Australian government for its cooperation, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said, “I am immensely delighted to be present at the agreement signing ceremony between the government of Australia and UNICEF as part of the humanitarian assistance activities for the Rohingya and host communities.”
The home minister hoped that such assistance from the international community, including Australia, would continue until the voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingya to Myanmar is achieved.
Under the agreement, UNICEF will utilise the 16 million dollar fund to implement vital projects across education, nutrition, child protection, and safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sectors for both the displaced Rohingya and the local host communities.
This newly signed agreement is part of Australia’s larger 370 million Australian dollar (BDT 3,162 crore) humanitarian assistance package announced for the Rohingyas living in both Myanmar and Bangladesh and host communities in Bangladesh spanning the 2026-2028 period.
Notably, since the crisis began in 2017, Australia has provided a total of 1.26 billion Australian dollars (BDT 10,770 crore), including this latest allocation, to address the regional crisis.
Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Manzur Morshed Chowdhury, along with high-ranking officials from the Home Ministry, the Australian High Commission, and UNICEF Bangladesh, were also present at the signing ceremony.
