Rohingya crisis still lacking expected global attention: Chief Adviser

Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus has said the Rohingya crisis has yet to receive the level of international attention it deserves, stressing that the safe and dignified repatriation of more than one million Rohingya refugees remains the only viable and sustainable solution.

He made the ramarks at a courtesy meeting with newly appointed UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Country Representative Ivo Freijsen at the state guest house Jamuna on Wednesday night (January 28).

Yunus said, “The root of the crisis lies in Myanmar and that any lasting solution must originate there. Keeping refugees in camps indefinitely is not an option.”

Freijsen drew attention to a sharp decline in international funding for Rohingya camps and emphasised the need to enhance self-reliance and livelihood opportunities for refugees.

Yunus noted that despite several high-level initiatives over the past year, the crisis continues to lack adequate global focus. He warned that a frustrated, technologically deprived generation growing up in the camps poses potential risks to regional security, while delays in repatriation are also heightening tensions with host communities.

The meeting also discussed conditions on Bhasan Char and the upcoming national election and referendum.

Yunus expressed concern that refugees leaving Bhasan Char for the mainland are creating new internal security challenges.

Freijsen said newly appointed UNHCR chief Barham Salih is expected to visit Bangladesh soon and tour the refugee camps.

Yunus urged the international community to remain engaged in humanitarian assistance while increasing pressure on Myanmar to expedite the repatriation process. He also reiterated the interim government’s commitment to ensuring a credible and orderly election.