Published: 11:57 PM, 10 September 2026
Bangladesh Will Raise Rohingya Issue at UNGA: Humaiun
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir addressed an international conference on Rohingya crisis at Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Thursday. -AA
Bangladesh will leverage its position at the United Nations to restore the protracted Rohingya crisis to the forefront of global diplomatic attention and press for a peaceful, sustainable resolution, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir said on Thursday.
"We will utilize our position at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to reinforce the importance of this crisis on the multilateral global stage and at the top forums like the UN," he told journalists.
The state minister was speaking to reporters after attending an international conference titled "Protracted Rohingya Crisis: The Search for a Comprehensive Approach" at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka.
Kobir said Bangladesh remains cautiously optimistic about resolving the crisis through diplomacy despite its scale and complexity, adding that Dhaka will intensify engagement across both bilateral and multilateral channels.
"We will work collectively through both bilateral and multilateral tracks to ensure the phased repatriation of the Rohingyas to their homeland and achieve a permanent resolution," he said.
He said Bangladesh would work closely with international partners to keep the Rohingya crisis firmly on the global agenda, sustain humanitarian assistance and help create the conditions necessary for the safe, dignified and sustainable return of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas to Rakhine State.
Kobir said Dhaka would engage major powers and regional groupings with interests and influence in Myanmar, including China, ASEAN member states, the United States and Saudi Arabia, alongside UN agencies and other multilateral institutions.
Several of these partners, he noted, have contributed at different stages to humanitarian operations and efforts to sustain the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh.
At the same time, Kobir cautioned against imposing an arbitrary deadline on the resolution of a crisis of such complexity, stressing that patience must be accompanied by accelerated diplomatic efforts.
"One cannot abruptly set a rigid timeframe for such complex matters. Patience is required, though diplomatic efforts must move at a rapid pace," he said.
Kobir said the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, regards resolving the Rohingya crisis as a top national priority, particularly because of its growing implications for Bangladesh's national security.
"We cannot make claims that we will resolve this tomorrow, but we are optimistic about moving toward a practical and acceptable solution swiftly," he said.
The state minister said Bangladesh had opened its borders on humanitarian grounds to protect the lives of persecuted Rohingyas, despite the immense and prolonged strain their presence has placed on the country's limited land, resources and public services.
He rejected the notion that the crisis should be treated primarily as a Bangladesh-specific burden, arguing that its origins and consequences make it a global responsibility requiring meaningful international engagement and equitable burden-sharing.
"The international community cannot just offer verbal sympathy," Kobir said, calling for increased financial assistance and more substantive diplomatic involvement, including backchannel negotiations with Myanmar.
He warned that failure to achieve a sustainable settlement could produce consequences extending well beyond Bangladesh, with prolonged instability potentially fuelling wider regional insecurity.
Kobir urged the international community to stand firmly with Bangladesh and pursue coordinated bilateral and multilateral initiatives to facilitate the Rohingyas' safe, dignified and sustainable return to their homeland.
Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, speaking at the opening session, drew attention to the fluid and increasingly uncertain situation in Myanmar's Rakhine State.
"The groups controlling territory there are not necessarily the same actors with whom formal diplomatic engagement must take place," he said.
The shifting balance of power, he suggested, has added another layer of complexity to efforts to pursue a durable political solution.
Despite these challenges, Siam categorically ruled out integrating the Rohingya population into Bangladesh as an acceptable solution to the crisis.
The opening session examined the social, economic and regional security risks associated with the prolonged displacement of the Rohingyas.
UNHCR Representative Ivo Freisen and Foreign Service Academy Rector Ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhith also addressed the session.
Later sessions focused on international burden-sharing amid declining humanitarian assistance, pathways for safe and voluntary repatriation to Rakhine, accountability through international courts and strategies to mitigate future risks.
The organizers said a policy brief would be prepared based on recommendations emerging from discussions among diplomats, academics, researchers, civil society representatives and international organizations. The policy document is expected to provide inputs for the government's future strategy on addressing the protracted Rohingya crisis and advancing efforts towards a durable and sustainable resolution.
