Media briefing on the situation of children in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
This is a summary of what was said by UNICEF Director of private fundraising and partnerships, Carla Haddad Mardini – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva
GENEVA, 14 October 2025 – “Good morning and thank you for your time.
“Right now, in the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, in Bangladesh, [the largest camp there] funding crisis is threatening to erase years of progress for Rohingya children. I was there last week and it was disheartening to watch Classrooms [close], services [shrink], and the futures of hundreds of thousands of children are hanging by a thread.
“Last week, I was there and saw how deeply the global funding gap is hurting children. UNICEF and our partners are doing everything possible to stretch every dollar, but we are running out of options. Education, water, sanitation and hygiene assistance are among the hardest hit.
“Protection services for women and children in the [this very large refugee camp, the largest] world’s largest refugee camp are being interrupted just as risks are increasing. Recent data shows a staggering reality for children, with 685 cases of child recruitment by armed groups reported this year, more than five times the total recorded for all of 2024. And the year is not yet over.
“Indications are that the situation will be even more dire next year. The overall Rohingya response faces what we call [right now in unicef ] a funding cliff in early 2026, [so we’re progressing towards this funding cliff at high speed] with worst-case projections suggesting that already insufficient contributions could fall by half. Even with efficiencies, integration [of programmes] and localization saving tens of millions of dollars, no amount of cost-cutting can offset such a steep [deep] decline.
“Across the camps, Kindergarten and grade one learning facilities remain closed [so children are not in school], denying education to young children . Youth vocational centres are shuttering, leaving adolescents vulnerable to recruitment, exploitation [and abuse] and rising insecurity [overall].
“These are not abstract numbers. They are warnings. A leaner, more efficient response [which we’re trying to do] cannot replace the resources needed to sustain life-saving services.
[I just wanted to share that in,,,]
“In the camps, I met 14-year-old Salma, one of only three girls in a class of eighteen. [So majority boys, only 3 girls remain]. She told me how proud she was to finally study the Myanmar curriculum, something her parents [friends] once thought impossible. That progress came only through years of engagement and trust-building within the community, but it is now at [high] risk.
“Faced with impossible choices, [not only UNICEF but all the partners there. We’ve…] prioritized reopening classes for adolescents like Salma, both for their education and for their protection. When adolescents have no safe place to go, they face heightened risks [and I heard it from children directly] risks of child labor, early marriage and exploitation.
“Last week, we were able to reopen classes for younger children, a moment of hope. Yet kindergarten and Grade 1 [as I said] classrooms remain closed, and whether we can sustain existing programmes next year is [still] uncertain. [So] For children who have already lost their homes, friends and sense of normalcy, this uncertainty [relating to schooling] is devastating.
“Very quickly I want to share with you what happened when I met…
“Fifteen-year-old Mohammad told me that when his school closed, he thought it would never reopen. He stayed home to help his ageing parents and care for his siblings. “Each morning, I watch other children walk to school,” [each morning he watches children go to school and said\. “It feels like my childhood has ended.”
“Across the camps, families feel the same despair. Mothers at UNICEF-supported nutrition centres spoke of reduced food assistance and shortages of soap and clean water. Childhood diseases are on the rise and malnutrition [too]. Severe acute malnutrition among children is now at its highest level since the height of the crisis in 2017.
“This is not solely an education emergency. It is a child protection and survival crisis. It is a test of our collective will. [We’re repeating this everywhere across the public and private sectors]Without predictable and flexible funding, we will see more children out of school and malnourished, more girls forced into early marriage, and more young people losing hope in the future.
“So we’ll stay in the camp, we’ll stay and deliver, but our ability to do so depends entirely on voluntary funding. I left Bangladesh more convinced [that even if it’s not in the headlines, we owe it to the children to bring their situation to your attention].
“Thank you.”
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Notes for editors:
Multimedia materials available here: https://weshare.unicef.org/Package/2AM4080FDL1J
For more information, please contact UNICEF UK Media team at [email protected] or 0208 375 6030.
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