Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Monday placed a seven-point roadmap, urging collective international efforts for the speedy, safe, dignified, voluntary and sustainable return of the Rohingyas to their homes in Rakhine.
“We must not be held hostage to mere rhetoric. The time for action is now,” Yunus said while addressing the ‘Stakeholders’ Dialogue’ in Cox’s Bazar as chief guest, reports UNB.
He stressed that the crisis was not only Bangladesh’s responsibility but a global one, and called on the international community to share the burden, pursue solutions and keep the issue on the global agenda until repatriation takes place.
Yunus said the proposals include ensuring the right of Rohingyas to return home without delay, securing sustained international aid to fill gaps in the 2025–26 Joint Response Plan, and pressing Myanmar authorities and the Arakan Army to halt violence, ensure security and allow displaced people to return.
He also called for inclusive dialogue to reduce tensions and restore rights, stronger roles for ASEAN and neighbours in promoting peace, a firm stand against ethnic cleansing, and support for accountability through international justice mechanisms.
He reminded that during Ramadan this year he and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres joined over one hundred thousand Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar for iftar, where their “keen desire to return home as soon as possible” was heard clearly. “Your solidarity with the Rohingya voice could be a beacon of hope in reversing their marginalisation and persecution,” he said.
A minute of silence was observed on the occasion of Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day, followed by a documentary screening on the crisis. High Representative for the Rohingya Issue and National Security Adviser Dr Khalilur Rahman urged “concrete international action” to ensure safe and dignified repatriation. Adviser for Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief Faruk E Azam, Bir Protik, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam and UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner Raouf Mazou also spoke at the event.
Yunus noted that in last year’s UN General Assembly he presented a three-point proposition that led to the convening of this year’s High-Level Conference in New York. He expressed hope that the Cox’s Bazar dialogue would help shape the roadmap for an expedited and permanent solution to the crisis.
Marking the eighth anniversary of the Rohingya exodus in 2017, Yunus recalled how some 800,000 people fled Myanmar within weeks to escape persecution. He said the forced displacement, killings and destruction continued to this day, with fresh arrivals still crossing into Bangladesh. “On this fateful day, it is our moral responsibility to stop the armed actors from carrying out their design of ethnic cleansing,” he said.
Bangladesh now shelters 1.3 million Rohingyas, with around 32,000 babies born in the camps every year, making Cox’s Bazar the largest refugee settlement in the world. Yunus acknowledged the “tremendous sacrifices” of the host community and warned that domestic resources could no longer be mobilised given the country’s challenges. “We greatly value your compassion and continued partnership for the Rohingyas. Your support will remain pivotal until they return home,” he told donors and partners.
The three-day international conference titled Stakeholders’ Dialogue: Takeaways to the High-Level Conference on Rohingya Situation began in Cox’s Bazar on Sunday, engaging global actors in efforts to resolve the protracted Rohingya crisis.