A fire severely damaged critical facilities in Cox's Bazar, including 86 latrines, 68 bathing cubicles, 11 water points, 40 solar streetlights, 10 learning centers, and two mosques/madrasas. With significant cuts to U.S. humanitarian assistance, humanitarian organizations and the U.N. Refugee Agency are struggling to rebuild with safer construction materials.
Date: 1/26
Region: South Asia
Country: Bangladesh
Topic: Refugees & Displacement
Policy Lens: Migration & Mobility
Entry Type: Operational Impact
Additional Context: In December 2024, the Interim Government of Bangladesh approved three new semi-permanent shelter models that were intended to support the reconstruction of 50,000 safer shelters across the camps. However, major U.S. humanitarian funding cuts in January 2025 halted the reconstruction plan, leaving the response critically underfunded. In 2025, donors only met half of the required funding for the Rohingya response, resulting in a funding gap of $466.6 million. Without adequate funding, humanitarian organizations cannot rebuild these safer structures, leaving families trapped in shelters that cannot withstand fire, storms, or monsoon conditions.
Source: Norwegian Refugee Council

