Rohingya rights take centre stage in Cox’s Bazar

Diplomatic Correspondent :

The Office of the High Representative for the Rohingya Issue and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will host a ‘Stakeholders’ Dialogue’ on the Rohingya crisis in Cox’s Bazar from 24-26 August.

The event, titled “Stakeholders’ Dialogue: Takeaways for the High-Level Conference on the Rohingya Situation”, serves as a preparatory forum ahead of the High-Level Conference scheduled in New York on 30 September, alongside the United Nations General Assembly.

Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus will attend as Chief Guest on 25 August. The dialogue will bring together experts from Bangladesh and abroad, diplomats, representatives of the Rohingya community, international organisations, and academicians to exchange views and present recommendations for addressing the ongoing crisis.

Special emphasis will be placed on the perspectives of Rohingya men, women, and youth, ensuring their voices reach the international community.

Discussions will cover a wide range of issues, including funding shortfalls in the refugee camps, recent developments in Rakhine State, and measures for the dignified repatriation of Rohingyas.

Five thematic sessions are planned, focusing on humanitarian assistance, confidence-building for repatriation, accountability for atrocities, and strategies for a sustainable, actionable, and time-bound resolution. Participants will visit the Rohingya camps on 26 August to gain firsthand insights.

The dialogue comes as the Rohingya crisis enters its ninth year, with no large-scale repatriation having taken place since the mass exodus in August 2017. Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain has underscored the interim government’s priorities: maintaining uninterrupted foreign aid for Rohingyas, keeping the issue prominent in global discourse, and facilitating safe, voluntary, and dignified repatriation to Myanmar.

Humanitarian support remains critical, with more than 1.4 million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh heavily dependent on aid. Funding gaps threaten essential services; only 35 percent of the $600 million required this year has been secured. WFP Country Director Dom Scalpelli warned that any reduction in food assistance could push refugees further into hunger and force them into desperate measures for survival.

The United Nations’ 2025-26 Joint Response Plan (JRP), inaugurated in March, unites 113 partners under the leadership of the Bangladesh Government and includes support for refugees in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char, as well as host communities in Ukhiya and Teknaf.

The plan requires $934.5 million, but to date, only 16 percent has been funded, leading to the closure of schools, hospitals, and protection services. Funding shortfalls have grown steadily since 2017, from 27 percent then to 51 percent in 2022.

UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh, Rana Flowers, noted that significant reductions in funding have forced the closure of early-grade classrooms, prompting protests and unrest among affected volunteer teachers.

The Cox’s Bazar dialogue aims to generate concrete recommendations for the upcoming High-Level Conference in New York. Officials have stressed that the forum will provide Rohingya refugees with a platform to directly share their concerns, aspirations, and expectations with the international community.

The interim government continues to engage constructively with other countries and international organisations to seek sustainable solutions to this long-standing humanitarian crisis.