(MENAFN) Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus met with World Food Program (WFP) Acting Executive Director Carl Skau in Rome on Tuesday to discuss efforts to secure additional funding for Rohingya refugees, according to a statement from Yunus’ office.

The meeting, held at a hotel in the Italian capital, highlighted the Rohingya as a priority for the UN agency due to urgent funding needs. Skau reaffirmed the WFP’s commitment to providing food assistance to the 1.3 million Rohingya residing in Cox’s Bazar along Bangladesh’s southeastern coast, the majority of whom fled Myanmar’s military crackdown in 2017.

Yunus and Skau also explored the possibility of attracting financial support from new sources, including wealthy nations and multilateral institutions. Skau noted that following recent humanitarian aid pledges from countries including the US and UK, the WFP would continue offering a $12 monthly food stipend to each refugee.

Earlier, the UN food program had reduced rations for the Rohingya by half due to a critical funding shortfall, partly stemming from reductions in US support to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a major aid provider.

The discussion also touched on broader global food crises, including famine in Gaza and Sudan, and the increasing difficulty of raising funds to address worldwide hunger affecting tens of millions. Skau highlighted ongoing WFP efforts to deliver hundreds of food trucks into Gaza amid growing food insecurity, which currently impacts nearly 300 million people globally.

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