Rising refugee numbers, funding cuts strain Bangladesh
Diplomatic Correspondent :
The Rohingya crisis continues to pose significant challenges for Bangladesh, with no immediate resolution in sight.
The increasing number of refugees, coupled with a funding crisis and rising criminal activities, is having a growing impact on Bangladesh and other countries in the region.
Despite sustained efforts over the past seven years, the Bangladesh government has been unable to repatriate any of the 1.3 million Rohingyas to their homeland in Myanmar.
Bangladesh is also concerned about a potential funding shortfall from USAID following Donald Trump’s decision to suspend all aid and assistance via the agency. This move is expected to affect various sectors in Bangladesh.
Amid this situation, the Interim Government, with the support of the United Nations (UN), is set to convene a conference to explore solutions to the crisis.
On Friday, Dr Khalilur Rahman, High Representative of Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser on Rohingya Issues and Priority Matters, met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres to discuss the upcoming UN International Conference on Rohingya Muslims and other Minorities of Myanmar, scheduled for 2025.
The Bangladesh Mission in New York confirmed that the UN General Assembly had reached a consensus to hold the conference.
During the meeting, Dr Rahman stressed the urgency of international action for a sustainable resolution to the Rohingya issue, which continues to threaten regional peace and security.
He urged the Secretary-General to mobilise the global community to ensure the conference adopts tangible measures for an early and durable solution to the crisis.
Dr Rahman also highlighted the dire humanitarian conditions in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, warning that impending famine could further destabilise the conflict-affected region.
He expressed Bangladesh’s willingness to support UN-led initiatives in Rakhine to mitigate the humanitarian crisis, restart livelihoods, and create conditions for the voluntary, safe, and dignified repatriation of Rohingyas currently sheltering in Bangladesh.
Additionally, Dr Rahman drew attention to the worsening external funding situation and called on the Secretary-General to mobilise sufficient resources.
He urged measures to ensure aid providers and recipients have unimpeded access, free from violence, intimidation, and discrimination, and emphasised the need to end airstrikes and bombings in the region.
Secretary-General Guterres recalled his visits to Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar and Rakhine State and reiterated his concerns for the Rohingyas, who continue to face systematic discrimination and gross violations of fundamental rights.
He commended Bangladesh’s generosity in hosting nearly 1.3 million Rohingyas over the past eight years and acknowledged the country’s critical role in supporting UN-led humanitarian assistance efforts in Rakhine.
The Secretary-General assured Bangladesh of the UN’s continued commitment to a durable solution to the crisis and pledged to help secure funding for necessary actions.
Dr Rahman also briefed the Secretary-General on Bangladesh’s reform efforts under the leadership of Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and stressed the need for a stronger Bangladeshi presence in UN peacekeeping activities.
Guterres referred to his recent meeting with Professor Yunus at Davos and reiterated his support for the reform initiatives. He assured Dr Rahman of his personal attention to ensuring higher-level representation of Bangladesh in UN peacekeeping operations.
In addition to his discussions with the Secretary-General, Dr Rahman held separate bilateral meetings with UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner and Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix. Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, was present at the meetings.
On the potential impact of the USAID funding crisis for the Rohingyas, Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain told journalists that, if necessary, Bangladesh would seek alternative partners to address the shortfall.