Bangladesh Cannot Resolve Rohingya Crisis Alone: Shama

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam on Sunday called on the international community to share responsibility for the protracted Rohingya crisis, saying Bangladesh’s humanitarian generosity must not become an excuse for global inaction.

“Bangladesh can provide shelter. Bangladesh can provide humanitarian assistance. Bangladesh can help preserve dignity, but Bangladesh cannot resolve the crisis that Bangladesh did not create,” she said.

She made the remarks while addressing a dialogue titled “Rohingya Crisis Entering 10 Years: From Humanitarian Response to Sustainable Solutions”, jointly organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh and Oxfam in Bangladesh.

Shama said resolving the Rohingya crisis was both a political and moral responsibility that must be shouldered collectively by the international community.

“Bangladesh will continue to stand with them, but Bangladesh should not have to stand alone,” she said.

As the crisis approaches its 10th year, Shama called for renewed international action, warning against allowing another decade to pass without a sustainable solution.

“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,” she said.

“We must not allow 10 years to become 20,” she added.

Since the massive influx of Rohingyas in 2017, Bangladesh has sheltered more than 1.2 million forcibly displaced people despite its own development challenges, limited land and high population density.

Shama said hosting such a large population had placed enormous pressure on Bangladesh’s infrastructure, environment, public services and host communities. Yet the country had continued providing food, shelter, healthcare, education and protection.

She expressed concern over declining international funding, saying humanitarian needs remained immense despite reductions in the 2026 Joint Response Plan.

Food, nutrition, water, sanitation, education and protection are “not luxuries” but lifelines, she said, warning that major funding shortfalls could affect Rohingyas, host communities, camp stability and regional security.

“We therefore urge our international partners: do not let humanitarian fatigue become humanitarian abandonment,” she said.

Shama also highlighted the burden on people in Cox’s Bazar, saying their livelihoods, environment and public services had come under severe pressure. Support for host communities, she said, should be treated as an essential part of the humanitarian response.

Repatriation remains the ultimate goal

Shama said humanitarian assistance alone could not provide a lasting solution because the crisis originated in Myanmar.

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

She reiterated that the ultimate goal remains the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of Rohingyas to their homeland in Rakhine State.

“A camp should never become a permanent substitute for a homeland,” she said, noting that Rohingyas themselves had repeatedly expressed their desire to return.

The state minister called for the verification process to be expedited under agreed bilateral arrangements, including consideration of children born in the camps and Rohingyas who arrived from Rakhine after 2017.

She said accurate data and a credible verification process could help build confidence between Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Bangladesh, she added, would continue diplomatic engagement through bilateral channels, the United Nations, regional mechanisms and international partners to facilitate repatriation.

Referring to China’s role, Shama expressed hope that commitments made during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s recent visit would be translated into concrete action.

She stressed that responsibility sharing must go beyond expressions of sympathy and include predictable financing, sustained diplomacy, political engagement and accountability.

Shama said the Rohingya crisis had evolved from a humanitarian emergency into a protracted political crisis.

She expressed confidence that the current government would be able to pursue repatriation successfully, recalling Bangladesh’s previous experiences of Rohingya repatriation in 1978 and 1992.

The state minister also urged the media to keep the crisis on the international agenda, saying responsible journalism, evidence and facts were important in shaping global understanding of the situation.

“The Rohingya people deserve more than survival. They deserve a future, they deserve a home, they deserve safety, they deserve dignity, and they deserve the right to return to their homeland in peace,” she said.

Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, EU Ambassador and Head of Delegation to Bangladesh Michael Miller, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Chinese Deputy Chief of Mission Liu Yuyin, IOM Bangladesh Chief of Mission Dr Laura Tomm-Bonde, Centre for Alternatives Executive Director Professor Imtiaz Ahmed and Cox’s Bazar Civil Society President Abu Murshed Chowdhury, among others, addressed the dialogue.