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The UNHCR chief supports the interim government's proposal for a conference on the Rohingya situation
Published : 27 Feb 2025, 07:35 PM
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi has stressed the need to push for a solution to the Rohingya refugee crisis despite the ongoing internal conflicts in Myanmar.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday after a meeting with Foreign Advisor Tauhid Hossain at the foreign ministry, Grandi said: “The situation in Myanmar is very difficult”.
He added, “There is a conflict going on, actually many, many conflicts going on, but we must insist to have a solution.”
Facing persecution and genocide by Myanmar’s military, Rohingya began pouring into Bangladesh from Rakhine State after Aug 25, 2017.
Within a few months, over 750,000 Rohingya took refuge in camps in Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya and Teknaf, adding to the 400,000 already residing there.
Under international pressure, Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi-led government agreed to repatriate the Rohingya later that year, signing a bilateral agreement with Bangladesh in September 2017.
Despite discussions on identification and other issues, two repatriation attempts in 2019 failed due to the Rohingya’s mistrust of the Myanmar government.
The COVID-19 pandemic further diverted global attention from the crisis.
In February 2021, Myanmar’s military junta, led by General Min Aung Hlaing, ousted Suu Kyi’s government, creating fresh challenges for repatriation.
Attempts to return the Rohingya through a tripartite initiative facilitated by China also fell through.
As conflicts between Myanmar’s military and rebel groups intensified, repatriation discussions have come to a standstill.
Meanwhile, ongoing violence in Rakhine has led to a fresh influx of Rohingya into Bangladesh.
Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus said over 80,000 additional Rohingya have entered the country.
Amid Myanmar's ethnic armed conflict, all areas along Bangladesh's border have been taken over by the rebel group Arakan Army, leading to a decline in communication between Dhaka and Naypyidaw.
Concerns have also emerged over funding for Rohingya refugees after United States President Donald Trump’s executive order temporarily halted Washington’s global development aid for three months.
The US remains the largest single donor for the Rohingya crisis, but the interim government has confirmed that emergency food assistance funding will continue.
Against this backdrop, UNHCR chief Grandi held discussions with Advisor Touhid during his visit to Dhaka on Thursday.
He agreed with Bangladesh’s stance that the solution to the Rohingya crisis lies in Naypyidaw, not Dhaka.
“We discussed the situation of the Rohingya refugees, we discussed how to continue to manage this very difficult situation.
“And we discussed also the importance which I have always agreed with to find solutions in Myanmar.”
The UNHCR chief continues, “I expressed my gratitude to Bangladesh for continuing to host them, despite its own challenges linked to the transition.”
Since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on Aug 5, 2024, and the formation of the interim administration, Dhaka has been pushing for greater international involvement in resolving the crisis.
As part of this effort, Yunus proposed a “stakeholder conference” on Rohingya repatriation at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
He also urged UN Secretary-General António Guterres to take the initiative in a letter sent on Nov 4, 2024.
On Nov 20, the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee unanimously adopted a resolution calling on the UN secretary-general to organise the conference under the title “Situation of Human Rights of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar”
Discussions are ongoing to hold the conference in Qatar’s Doha in the second half of this year.
Expressing support for the initiative, Grandi said: “The government has proposed to organise the conference on the Rohingya situation in the next few months and we will support that conference.”
