Dhaka's Renewed Push Brings Rohingya Crisis to Spotlight: Alam

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said Wednesday that the Rohingya crisis has reemerged on the global agenda thanks to the intensified efforts of Bangladesh’s interim government, aimed at achieving the safe and dignified repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar.

“Slowly but steadily, the crisis is returning to global discourse,” he told reporters at the Earthna Summit. He noted that one of the main objectives behind Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus’ participation in the summit was to engage global stakeholders on the issue.

Bangladesh currently shelters around 1.3 million Rohingyas, with approximately 32,000 births adding to the population each year.

Alam said the crisis had faded from international focus, but Prof Yunus reignited global attention through targeted initiatives, including active participation at high-level events like the Earthna Summit. Prof Yunus and Qatar Foundation CEO Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani—also host of the summit—joined a roundtable titled “Social and Environmental Challenges around Forcibly Displaced Populations: The Case of the Rohingyas.”

The event is a precursor to a broader international conference set for September 30, 2025, in New York, as mandated by a UN General Assembly resolution, adopted by 141 countries. The conference will focus on Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar, with expected participation from over 170 nations.

Alam noted recent progress on the repatriation front. As of March 19, 2025, Myanmar verified 239,056 individuals from a list of 829,036 submitted by Bangladesh, of whom approximately 180,000 have been cleared as former residents—marking a breakthrough during the BIMSTEC Summit.

“This is a significant first step toward our ultimate goal,” said Alam.

Bangladesh continues to support accountability efforts through the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Criminal Court (ICC), and the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM). Meanwhile, The Gambia is mobilizing support among OIC member states to secure necessary funding for legal proceedings.