Bangladesh Presses UN for Rohingya Return

Bangladesh has once again pressed for the urgent and sustainable repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, emphasizing that the displaced population is eager to return to their homeland and that the protracted crisis continues to impose an unsustainable burden on Bangladesh.

Speaking at a UN briefing held by the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar on Friday, Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, stated that the crisis originated within Myanmar and that a durable solution must be found there. 

Addressing the humanitarian situation, he noted that "Bangladesh has been sheltering nearly 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas for almost a decade on humanitarian grounds despite significant social, economic, environmental and security challenges arising from the protracted crisis."

Ambassador Chowdhury highlighted that the presence of such a vast refugee population has exerted enormous pressure on local communities and national resources, making an immediate and sustainable resolution imperative. 

He reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to a peaceful resolution and urged the international community and key regional actors to "intensify diplomatic engagement and efforts to create conditions conducive to the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of the Rohingyas to Myanmar."

The Ambassador underscored that "the Rohingyas themselves want to return to their homes in Myanmar" and reiterated his government's position that "repatriation remains the only viable long-term solution to the crisis." 

To ensure this outcome, he called for heightened international support and sustained global attention to hold parties accountable and address the root causes that originally forced the population to flee.

Furthermore, the envoy emphasized the necessity of concerted global and regional efforts to facilitate an early return, which he argued is essential to restoring peace, stability, and normalcy in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. 

Bangladesh continues to maintain that effective international measures are required to enable the repatriation process, insisting that a final, durable solution can only be achieved once the Rohingyas are able to return to Myanmar in safety and dignity.