Bangladeshi civil society organisations (CSOs) on Thursday urged the international community to adopt a low-cost, locally-led approach in the Rohingya response as the crisis enters its eighth year amid a worsening funding shortfall.
The call came at a press conference organised by COAST Foundation and Cox’s Bazar CSO-NGO Forum in Dhaka on Thursday, ahead of the UN Rohingya Conference scheduled for September 30 in New York.
Bangladesh is currently sheltering over 1.15 million Rohingya refugees who fled genocide in Myanmar.
As of September, only 38 per cent of this year’s funding requirements have been met, worsened by cuts in U.S. support.
To bridge the gap, the government increased its contribution by 263 per cent compared to 2024, financed largely by a World Bank loan — a move criticised by CSOs as contrary to humanitarian principles.
Presenting a study on aid localization, Shahinur Islam said local NGOs could manage the response with significantly lower costs.
The study revealed that while UN agencies and INGOs spend nearly 70 per cent on management and only 30 per cent on programmes, local NGOs deliver at far lower overheads.
Despite this, from June to August 2025, INGOs secured 63.6 per cent of funds while local NGOs received just 2.5 per cent.
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury of COAST Foundation said local and national NGOs, as the main implementers, must be placed at the centre of the response.
Speakers also warned of rising tensions in host communities in Ukhiya and Teknaf, and called for utilising Rohingyas as human resources with links to global markets.
CSOs recommended a “reset” of the current system, proposing that UN agencies and INGOs take on monitoring and technical roles, while local NGOs lead implementation to ensure sustainability and cost efficiency.
