DHAKA, Bangladesh

Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus, while speaking at the UN General Assembly on Friday, sought urgent support from donors to head off a possible disaster in the country's camps for some 1.3 million Rohingya refugees.

“Without urgent new funding, the monthly ration may have to be halved to a paltry $6 per person, pushing the Rohingya deeper into hunger, accentuating their malnutrition, and forcing them to resort to desperate measures," said Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

“Hence, I call upon existing donors to come forward with enhanced contributions and potential donors to make announcements of generous contributions to prevent this catastrophic situation,” he continued.

Bangladesh has hosted about 1.3 million Rohingya since August 2017 in the coastal Cox’s Bazar district, with most of them fleeing a military crackdown in Myanmar.

Funds are urgently needed to maintain a minimum standard of living in the camps, which are on the verge of collapse due to the funding crunch, and the World Food Programme (WFP) has warned of a critical funding shortfall for its emergency response, he added.

Yunus made the funding request amid the US administration's 20% tariff on Bangladeshi goods.

Moreover, the US remains the largest donor to the Rohingya. However, US funding cuts to USAID, a major donor and project holder for the Rohingya, have jeopardized their well-being in Bangladeshi camps.

Beyond new and increased funding for humanitarian assistance, Yunus urged the international community to put pressure on Myanmar or the non-state actor in Rakhine to bring positive changes and seek political solutions swiftly.

“The ongoing conflict in neighboring Myanmar has created a situation of deep concern for the entire region. It threatens not only regional stability but also the prospects for the safe return of the forcibly displaced Rohingya sheltered in Bangladesh,” he underscored.

Yunus also strongly condemned the Israeli genocide and urged immediate international action to end the violence in Gaza.

He reaffirmed Bangladesh's unwavering commitment to a two-state solution.

The Bangladeshi delegation was among those who refused to attend the assembly when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke.