Saudi Arabia鈥檚 humanitarian arm the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre donated 667 tonnes of dates to support Rohingya children in Bangladesh.
A United Nations World Food Programme press release issued on Thursday said that the donation was formally handed over to the WFP at a ceremony in Dhaka on Wednesday.
The programme was attended by officials from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, KSrelief and WFP.
The release also said that dates would be distributed through WFP鈥檚 school feeding programme to benefit 2.50 lakh Rohingya children attending 3,500 learning centres in Rohingya camps across Cox鈥檚 Bazar and Bhashan Char.
Saudi Arabia has been supporting WFP鈥檚 Rohingya response since 2017.
Abdulaziz Fahad M Al Ibrahim, charg茅 d鈥檃ffaires of the Saudi Embassy in Dhaka, termed the latest donation as his country鈥檚 commitment to humanitarian principles and supporting vulnerable communities.
According to the WFP, malnutrition remains a pressing concern in the camps, with over 15 per cent of children under five affected and rates rising to 20 per cent among those under two.
Saudi Arabia鈥檚 contribution came at a critical time as WFP had faced a potential ration cut in April due to funding shortages.
Praising the food support, WFP Bangladesh country director Dom Scalpelli said, 鈥楶roviding nutritious food is essential not just for health, but for dignity and hope.鈥�
Currently, WFP maintains full ration with $12 per person per month in Cox鈥檚 Bazar and $13 in Bhashan Char.
Current funding, however, only secures this assistance until the end of September 2025, the release said.
The WFP still requires $106 million over the next 12 months to sustain its Rohingya operations, including $83 million to maintain full rations for over a million Rohingya people, said the release.
