Dhaka, May 20 -- The United Nations (UN) and its partners have launched a joint appeal for $710.5 million to meet the critical humanitarian needs of Rohingya refugees and their Bangladeshi host communities for 2026, warning that hopes for an imminent return to Myanmar are rapidly fading.

The 2026 update of the Joint Response Plan (JRP), rolled out on Wednesday at the UN House in Dhaka, outlines a "scaled-down, hyper-prioritised" strategy targeting 1.56 million people.

The new financial appeal is 26 percent lower than the budget sought in 2025, representing only the bare minimum required to sustain life-saving operations amid a global crunch in humanitarian funding.

The appeal is supported by 98 humanitarian partners, including 52 Bangl...