UN chief urges international community to increase humanitarian aid for Rohingyas

Guterres and Yunus to Visit Rohingya Camps, Urging Increased Humanitarian Aid

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, accompanied by Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus, will visit Rohingya refugee camps on Friday afternoon. During the visit, Guterres will call on the international community to enhance humanitarian support for the displaced Rohingya population, who have endured immense hardship. He will also share an iftar meal with the refugees, hosted by Yunus, as 100,000 Rohingyas break their fast in Cox’s Bazar.

"Every Ramadan, I spend time with Muslim communities facing hardships to observe the fast with them and highlight their struggles. This year, I am in Bangladesh to express my solidarity with Rohingya refugees and the Bangladeshi people who have welcomed them," Guterres said, emphasizing the purpose of his visit.

Earlier on Friday morning, Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain and Chief Adviser’s High Representative on Rohingya Issues, Dr. Khalilur Rahman, met with Guterres at InterContinental Dhaka to discuss matters related to the crisis.

The UN chief is scheduled for a bilateral meeting with the chief adviser before departing for Cox’s Bazar at 11:15 AM on a chartered Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight. Guterres, who arrived in Dhaka on Thursday, has a packed itinerary, including meetings in Cox’s Bazar and engagements with various stakeholders before his departure on Sunday morning.

During their visit, Guterres and Yunus will meet both Rohingya refugees, forcibly displaced from Myanmar, and members of the Bangladeshi host communities who have shown remarkable generosity.

On Saturday in Dhaka, Guterres will engage with youth and civil society representatives. Additionally, he will hold a joint press conference with Foreign Adviser Hossain in the afternoon.

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam stated that during his visit, Guterres will deliver a message of hope to the Rohingya community, assuring them of efforts to facilitate their dignified and safe return to Myanmar with full recognition of their rights.

"We hope the secretary-general will use his leadership to advance the cause of Rohingya repatriation and ensure that international aid for them is not negatively impacted," Shafiqul said in response to media inquiries.

Regarding interactions with the Arakan Army, Shafiqul noted that, given the evolving situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, maintaining operational contact is necessary to uphold border security, stability, and peace.

Shafiqul stressed that the ultimate resolution to the Rohingya crisis lies in their sustainable repatriation to Myanmar, which should remain a top priority for the international community. He reaffirmed Bangladesh’s ongoing commitment to achieving this goal.

For the past eight years, Bangladesh has hosted over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees, with an additional 80,000 arriving in recent months.

"It is beyond Bangladesh’s capacity to continue accommodating the forcibly displaced Rohingyas," Shafiqul stated.

He also warned that declining international support has led to reductions in daily food rations, severely impacting the nutritional health of Rohingya refugees, particularly women and children. This situation poses serious social and security concerns both within the camps and in the surrounding host communities.

Bangladesh has urged donors and the UN to prioritize Rohingya aid and prevent further reductions in assistance.

In response to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State, Shafiqul noted that Bangladesh remains open to supporting UN-led humanitarian efforts in the region.