Bangladesh Hosts International Conference on Rohingya Crisis in Cox’s Bazar

Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh – Bangladesh is hosting a two-day international conference in Cox’s Bazar to address the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis, ahead of a high-level meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in September. The conference, organized by Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aims to find solutions for the 1.5 million Rohingya refugees who fled a 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar, widely described as a war crime and genocide.

The event, which began on Sunday, was opened by Khalilur Rahman, Bangladesh’s high representative for the Rohingya issue and national security adviser. Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh’s interim government, is expected to attend, alongside foreign ministers, UN agency representatives, international envoys, and officials from Bangladesh’s overseas missions. A delegation led by Rahman will also visit the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, the largest in the world, to engage directly with residents facing severe shortages of food and medicine. “This is the first time in eight years that the Rohingya will have the opportunity to be heard,” said Nay San Lwin, cochairman of the Arakan Rohingya National Council. He emphasized that the conference’s outcomes will feed into a UN high-level meeting on September 30 in New York, with another potential meeting in Qatar in December. “We hope these processes will lead to a permanent solution, allowing us to return to Myanmar with full rights, dignity, and protection,” he told Al Jazeera. The Rohingya, a mostly Muslim minority, have faced decades of persecution in Myanmar, with 90 percent of the estimated 3.5 million Rohingya worldwide living as refugees or undocumented migrants. The UN has called for citizenship, equality, and security for the Rohingya, with spokesman Jeremy Laurence stating, “Ending impunity and ensuring the Rohingya’s rights are essential for breaking the cycle of violence.” The situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, home to many Rohingya, has worsened since November 2023, with both the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army accused of committing atrocities. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has urged greater international support for the Rohingya. In Cox’s Bazar, aid cuts have deepened the crisis, with monthly food rations for refugees slashed from $12 to $6, leaving many unable to afford basic nutrition. Temporary aid from the United States has provided some relief, but funding is set to expire in September. “They can’t afford fish or chicken; it’s just pulses and rice,” said Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, reporting from Cox’s Bazar. Fatema Khatoon, a Rohingya refugee who fled Myanmar in 1978, 1992, and 2018, expressed skepticism about the conference’s impact. “I want to go home with justice, to get back my land and property. How much longer must we suffer?” she told Al Jazeera. Kamal Hossain, chairman of the Forcefully Displaced Myanmar National Representative Committee, called the conference a “step toward solutions,” noting it marks the first direct dialogue in eight years between the Rohingya, international bodies, and the Bangladeshi government. Chief Adviser Yunus emphasized the need to ensure the Rohingya are “not forgotten,” with hopes that the conference will yield concrete steps to address their plight.