Rohingya crisis: UN meet renews focus, but yields no breakthrough

The high-level conference on the Rohingya at the UN in New York has been able to draw global attention anew on the crisis that was losing focus amid other global crises, but the level of political commitment required for a lasting solution still remains a big question.

Russia and China, the two big backers of the Myanmar junta, are continuing their support as before. Even the UN Security Council has taken no concrete measure against the country because of opposition from these two veto members.

"When all the states present at the Rohingya conference condemned the Myanmar junta and the Arakan Army, China and Russia spoke for sovereignty and integrity of Myanmar -- they spoke for engaging the Myanmar junta," said Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, chairman of COAST Foundation, who attended the event.

The two countries have major stakes in Myanmar, and it is unthinkable that the Myanmar junta will change unless there is real pressure against it, he said.

The only tangible outcome from the event is the announcement of $96 million in new funding from the US and the UK -- $60 million and $36 million, respectively. As of Monday, only 38 percent of the $934 million required for 2025 had been received.

Over 60 delegates of UN member countries and UN agencies, civil society groups delivered speeches at the event on Tuesday hosted by the UN as per a UNGA resolution in March.

The international community has recognised the complexities of the Myanmar crisis since the military coup in 2021 and condemned both the Myanmar junta and Arakan Army for atrocities against the Rohingya and other minorities.

They have also called for the UN Security Council to intervene to end the violence in Myanmar against the civilians.

"We were able to make it clear that the internal dimension of Myanmar has changed -- Bangladesh's burden has gone up with the influx of some 150,000 Rohingya since 2023," said former ambassador M Humayun Kabir.

Against this backdrop, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has made it clear that repatriation should start now instead of waiting for the restoration of democracy in Myanmar, beginning with those who recently fled to Bangladesh and those internally displaced.

"This is a new proposal made by Bangladesh," said Kabir, also the president of the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute.

Not a single Rohingya volunteered to return despite several attempts including under a tripartite mechanism involving Bangladesh, Myanmar and China. They argued that there was no guarantee of citizenship and safety back in Rakhine.

Bangladesh's stance is that repatriation is the only solution to the Rohingya crisis, and creating conditions for that was essential. That requires involvement of the global community.

Meanwhile, the UN has been advocating for livelihood options for the Rohingya in Bangladesh, but Bangladesh repeatedly said it was a difficult choice for the country given its huge unemployed youth population.

Yunus repeated it at the conference, emphasising that the country was suffering immensely -- economically, socially and environmentally.

Much of Bangladesh's foreign policy now focuses on the Rohingya, said Chowdhury. Meanwhile, its own issues of climate change, poverty and migrant rights are getting low priorities.

"It is true that the Rohingya need more funding, but nobody is speaking about efficient use of funding."

The UN and international NGOs' overhead costs are very high when they operate in the Rohingya camps.

Such humanitarian activities should be managed by the national NGOs, he said.

"Whether we want or not, the Rohingya crisis is a reality. We are a victim -- we cannot ignore it. So, we must keep pushing the issue until it is addressed," said Sk. Tawfique M. Haque, director at the South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance of North South University.

However, the government must have a coherent policy and smart diplomacy.

"Before the Rohingya conference in New York, we held a stakeholders' dialogue in Cox's Bazar. Later this year and early next year, we will have conferences in Qatar and Malaysia as follow-ups. I think this would be background for the next government to take the issue to the next level."