UNGA adopts resolution for renewed action on Rohingya crisis

The UN General Assembly’s Third Committee has adopted by consensus a resolution urging renewed international efforts to resolve the protracted Rohingya crisis and ensure the safe return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, said a foreign ministry spokesman on Thursday.

The measure, jointly tabled by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the European Union, received the support of 105 co-sponsoring countries.

Adopted annually since 2017, the resolution again voiced deep concern over ongoing human rights violations in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, the targeting of Rohingya Muslims, restrictions on humanitarian access, and the continued outflow of Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh and neighbouring countries. It calls for sustained international engagement to secure a safe, voluntary and sustainable return of the displaced population to Myanmar.

Following the adoption in New York on Wednesday, the Bangladeshi delegation welcomed the broad support from member states but warned that global inaction was perpetuating one of the world’s most urgent humanitarian crises. Delegates expressed frustration that no tangible progress has been made in eight years toward repatriation, despite repeated commitments from the international community.

Bangladesh, currently hosting an estimated 1.3 million Rohingya refugees, mostly in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar and on Bhasan Char, said it could no longer shoulder the responsibility alone. It calls for immediate, coordinated international measures to create conditions necessary for safe return, including addressing security concerns in Myanmar and ensuring accountability for rights abuses.

The resolution comes amid escalating instability in Myanmar, where renewed armed conflict has further complicated prospects for repatriation. Humanitarian groups say the situation in Rakhine remains too volatile for any large-scale return, with Rohingyas still facing systemic discrimination, statelessness, and violence.

Diplomats say the latest UNGA action is intended to maintain pressure on the Myanmar authorities and the wider international community at a time when political attention to the crisis has dimmed. However, without concrete steps on the ground, they warn that the prospect of repatriation remains remote and that Bangladesh’s warnings reflect mounting strain on a host country now entering its eighth year of the crisis.

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com