After a massive fire broke out due to unsafe building materials, a representative of a humanitarian organization in Cox's Bazar said: “Funding now needs to be urgently stepped up so we can resume construction of the 50,000 approved semi-permanent shelters. Without immediate action, fires like this one in Camp 16 in Cox’s Bazar, will continue to threaten lives and force families to rebuild from nothing again and again.”
Date: 1/26
Region: South Asia
Country: Bangladesh
Topic: Refugees & Displacement
Policy Lens: Migration & Mobility
Entry Type: Field Observation
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.
This quote is attributed to Dipankar Datta, NRC’s country director in Bangladesh.
Source: Norwegian Refugee Council