Beyond aid for a lasting refugee solution

Bangladesh has called for stronger and coordinated international action to resolve the Rohingya crisis as the displacement of the persecuted Myanmar minority approaches its tenth year, stressing that humanitarian assistance alone cannot provide a sustainable solution.

More than one million Rohingya refugees are currently living in Bangladesh after fleeing violence and persecution in Myanmar, with the overwhelming majority arriving following the military crackdown in Rakhine State in 2017.

Despite repeated diplomatic initiatives, attempts at repatriation have yet to produce a meaningful return of refugees to their homeland.

The call came at a seminar titled “Rohingya Crisis Entering 10 Years: From Humanitarian Response to Sustainable Solutions”, organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) and Oxfam in Bangladesh at a city hotel in the capital on Sunday.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam described the tenth anniversary of the crisis as a moment of “reckoning” and “reflection”.

“Ten years is indeed a long time for a government. It is a policy cycle. For an institution, it is a planning horizon. But for a child growing up in a refugee camp, 10 years is a childhood.

For a young person, it is an education lost. For a family, it is a decade without a home. And for an entire community, it is a generation living in uncertainty,” she said.
“We must not allow 10 years to become 20,” she added.

Bangladesh had kept its “borders and hearts open” despite facing its own development challenges and stressed that the country could not be expected to resolve a crisis it did not create, she said.

“Humanitarian generosity must not become an excuse for international inaction. Bangladesh can provide shelter. But Bangladesh cannot resolve a crisis that Bangladesh did not create,” she said.

Recalling Bangladesh’s previous success in successfully repatriating Rohingyas in 1978 and 1992 under the leadership of President Ziaur Rahman and Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia respectively, she said, “The present government under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is confident. We shall also be able to repatriate the Rohingya to their homeland.”

She urged the international community to move from “burden sharing” to “responsibility sharing”, arguing that the origin of the crisis must remain central to efforts for a lasting solution.

“The Rohingya crisis originated in Myanmar; its sustainable solution must ultimately be found in Myanmar,” she said.

“Support for the host communities is therefore not an optional addition to the humanitarian response. It is an essential part of it,” she said.

Foreign Secretary Ambassador Asad Alam Siam said the international community must now focus on creating a credible pathway for the refugees to return to Myanmar rather than simply making their prolonged displacement more manageable.

“The fundamental question is no longer about sustaining aid indefinitely, but about creating a credible pathway towards safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable return,” he said.

Siam said there was a need to clearly distinguish between humanitarian management and a genuine global resolution to the crisis.

“We need to distinguish clearly between humanitarian management and global resolution,” he said, warning that “the longer the displacement continues, the greater the risk is for Bangladesh”.

He also highlighted the importance of verification in any future repatriation process, saying it should become a confidence-building mechanism rather than an instrument for delaying the return process.

“Verification should serve as a confidence-building measure between Bangladesh and Myanmar,” Siam said, expressing concern that the process had at times become a “tool for protractions and delays”.

He further stressed that any sustainable solution must recognise the Rohingya as people belonging to Myanmar.

“The solution must be anchored in recognition of their identity as the people of Myanmar,” he said, raising the fundamental question of whether

“The European Union will be by the side of Bangladesh as it takes up its ASEAN presidency. We are paying attention to this crisis. It is incredibly important,” Miller said.

Miller said the EU had recently provided an additional 14 million euros for skills development, aimed at giving Rohingya refugees “portable skills” that could contribute to their eventual “sustainable integration in Myanmar”.

“Repatriation is the only solution to this issue,” Chinese Deputy Chief of Mission Liu Yuyin said.

He commended Bangladesh for the “tremendous sacrifice” it has made by hosting the Rohingya for years and reiterated China’s commitment to diplomatic engagement and mediation.

“China has consistently been committed to active diplomatic efforts and mediation encouraging Bangladesh and Myanmar to strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, properly handle differences and build greater consensus,” Liu said.

He acknowledged that internal conflicts in Myanmar had complicated previous attempts to begin repatriation but said the commitment of the parties to resolving the issue had not disappeared.

The event was attended, among others, by Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Commissioner of Refugee Relief and Repatriation, Professor Imtiaz Ahmed, Executive Director of Centre for Alternatives and Dean of Asian Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs, AKM Moinuddin, President of DCAB, Emrul Kayesh, General Secretary of DCAB and Anil Pant, Interim Country Director of Oxfam in Bangladesh.