The UAE donated Dh7.35 million to the United Nations Refugee Agency in support of Rohingya women and children refugees in Bangladesh.
This funding aims to provide treatment for 132,000 refugees, including 78,000 women and children living in Cox's Bazar-Bangladesh camp and its new communities.
The support will also help UNHCR and its partners reduce mortality rates linked to malnutrition and go towards monitoring and assessing the need for emergency food
The UAE’s donation will contribute towards a larger UN scheme in Bangladesh – which launched last month – to help 1.3 million individuals, including 884,000 Rohingya refugees and 336,000 host communities by the end of this year.
The Rohingya refugee crisis is the fastest growing in the world with more than 655,000 people, more than half of whom are children, forced to flee Myanmar's Rakhine State and seek safe haven in Bangladesh since August 25.
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Those new refugees joined nearly 213,000 Rohingya refugees who had fled to Bangladesh in previous waves of displacement.
The Dh7.35m aid agreement was signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation and the UNHCR on Tuesday.
Toby Harward, director of the UNHCR Office, praised the UAE’s contribution saying it would assist refugees suffering from malnutrition.
"There are huge numbers of Rohingya refugees suffering from severe malnutrition, especially among children under the age of five.
“Such a generous donation by the UAE will save numerous lives. It will help UNHCR and its partners provide the best services in the field of nutrition for Rohingya refugees," he said.
The donation comes as part of greater relief efforts for the Rohingya refugees supported by the UAE.
The UAE's donations to UNHCR global operations in 2017 - 2018 has now reached Dh27.55m.
Since the onset of the crisis last year, UNHCR has sent 16 emergency flights loaded with relief items to Southern Bangladesh.
“Twelve of these flights came out of Dubai, and the UAE paid for the transportation costs of eight of them," said Mr Harward.
He lauded the support provided by both Princess Haya, wife of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and chairperson of the International Humanitarian City, who financed shipment of tents, blankets and mobile kitchens, and Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, and Chairperson of the Big Heart Foundation, who, he said, is the UNHCR Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children and key contributor to the Rohingya crisis.
