Rohingya Crisis: PM Tarique Rahman Sets Out Five Urgent Steps

The Rohingya crisis took centre stage at the United Nations on Wednesday. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman proposed five urgent measures to end it. He urged the world to move “from managing displacement to ending it.”

He spoke at a high-level side event in New York. Bangladesh and The Gambia co-convened it during the UN General Assembly.

Five steps to resolve the Rohingya crisis

First, he called for a clear and credible roadmap for safe, voluntary and dignified return to Myanmar. Second, he demanded an end to violence against civilians, including Rohingyas. Their rights and security must be guaranteed at home.

Third, he asked for predictable humanitarian aid for refugees and for host communities. Fourth, he said justice and accountability are “indispensable”. He praised The Gambia’s case at the International Court of Justice. He also backed the International Criminal Court’s role.

Fifth, he urged regional action against drug networks, human trafficking, digital scams and illegal arms.

Shrinking aid, growing camps

Bangladesh has hosted Rohingya refugees for more than nine years. It now shelters over 1.2 million people, mostly in Cox’s Bazar.

The prime minister warned that funding is falling fast. The Joint Response Plan sought more than $934 million in 2025. The 2026 appeal was cut to about $710 million. That covers only minimum lifesaving needs. “This trend cannot continue,” he said.

Conditions in Rakhine State remain grim. He cited forced recruitment, arbitrary detention and forced labour. Both the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army face accusations of serious abuses.

Thousands of babies are born in the camps every year. Some families now risk boat journeys to Malaysia. “A crisis left unresolved in one country can become a security challenge for an entire region,” he said.

Children in the camps study the Myanmar curriculum in about 6,000 learning centres. Yet Rahman stressed that camps are no place for a lifetime.

The speech sets a clear marker for the BNP government abroad. The test is whether donors answer with money, and Myanmar with safety.

Read the full Daily Star report.

Fact basis: The Daily Star/UNB (24 Sept 2026) report of the PM’s UN address; PMO statements. Aid figures as stated by the prime minister.