Dhaka Calls on UNHCR to Find Pathways for Rohingya Return

Bangladesh has urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to explore practical pathways for the sustainable repatriation of Rohingya refugees.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain requested the newly appointed UNHCR Representative in Bangladesh, Ivo Freijsen, to use his role not only to strengthen support for the Joint Response Plan (JRP) 2025–26 but also to focus on early, safe, dignified, and sustainable return of Rohingyas to Myanmar.

The discussion took place when Freijsen presented his credentials to Adviser Hossain at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. Both sides exchanged views on UNHCR’s humanitarian assistance to over 1.3 million Rohingya refugees temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh and the ongoing implementation of the JRP.

Freijsen expressed his commitment to supporting Bangladesh’s efforts, saying, “It is both an honour and a privilege to represent UNHCR in a country that has generously hosted people forced to flee. I look forward to working with national and international partners to support Bangladesh in its ongoing response to the Rohingya crisis.”

Adviser Hossain wished Freijsen a successful tenure. The UNHCR representative also met Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, who stressed the importance of UNHCR’s active engagement at the upcoming high-level conference on the Rohingya situation in New York. Both sides agreed that the UN-led conference would be a crucial opportunity to galvanize international attention and action.

Freijsen, a Dutch national, has previously served as UNHCR representative in Lebanon (2023–2025) and Iran (2018–2022), and has over three decades of experience in humanitarian affairs, refugee protection, and emergency response in countries including Iraq, Sudan, and Egypt.

He reaffirmed UNHCR’s commitment, stating, “We will continue protecting and assisting refugees until conditions allow for their safe, voluntary, and sustainable return to Rakhine State. Amid growing global aid constraints, I will work closely with partners to sustain engagement and advocate for lasting solutions to this protracted crisis.”

Bangladesh has hosted Rohingya refugees since 2017, when nearly 740,000 people fled widespread violence and persecution in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. UNHCR continues to collaborate with the Bangladesh government and humanitarian agencies to provide protection, shelter, and essential services to those unable to safely return.