Episode: KPN 09-09-2026

Rohingya verification must not delay repatriation, Bangladesh State Minister says

Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has called for accelerating the verification of Rohingya refugees under existing bilateral arrangements with Myanmar, warning that the process should not become an indefinite administrative exercise that delays their eventual repatriation.

Shama made the remarks on Sunday while addressing a roundtable titled “The Rohingya Crisis: Emerging Challenges and Reframing Response Strategies” at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) auditorium in Dhaka.

The event was organized by the Institute for Global Cooperation Foundation (IGCF). Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed attended as chief guest, while Prime Minister’s Adviser on Public Administration Md Ismail Zabiullah was guest of honour.

Bangladesh calls for faster Rohingya verification

Shama said Bangladesh has prioritized speeding up the verification process in its bilateral engagement with Myanmar as part of efforts to move toward actual repatriation.

“Verification cannot become an open-ended administrative exercise,” she said, adding that the process should be expedited on the basis of existing bilateral arrangements.

She also highlighted complications involving Rohingya children born in Bangladesh’s refugee camps and people who have arrived from Rakhine State since 2017, saying these practical realities need to be addressed as part of the verification process.

Bangladesh’s diplomatic strategy is aimed at maintaining international attention on the prolonged crisis, strengthening humanitarian assistance, promoting accountability and creating conditions that would enable Rohingya refugees to return home, she said.

Funding decline puts pressure on humanitarian response

Shama warned that declining international funding is making it increasingly difficult for Bangladesh to sustain humanitarian assistance for the Rohingya population.

She said Bangladesh would continue fulfilling its humanitarian responsibilities but called on international donors and partners to increase support for displaced Rohingya communities.

Bangladesh has previously urged international partners, including UNHCR, to help address humanitarian needs such as food, medicine, water and sanitation, and education under the Rohingya response.

At the roundtable, Shama also argued that humanitarian assistance should be managed alongside a credible strategy for eventual return.

Rights and security needed in Rakhine for sustainable return

Shama said accelerating administrative procedures alone would not be sufficient to achieve sustainable repatriation, stressing that conditions inside Myanmar’s Rakhine State remain central to any future return.

She identified security, recognition of Rohingya identity and rights, legal recognition, freedom of movement and access to livelihoods, education and healthcare among the conditions needed in Rakhine State.

Returning refugees must also have confidence that going back to Myanmar would not expose them to another cycle of displacement, she said.

Shama called for dialogue aimed at reconciliation and urged stronger engagement by the United Nations, ASEAN, development partners and other international stakeholders.

She said confidence-building measures and humanitarian and development initiatives in Rakhine could help create conditions for future returns while addressing concerns among both Rohingya returnees and communities already living there.

Accountability and repatriation must advance together

The state minister also said accountability should remain part of international efforts to resolve the Rohingya crisis.

Bangladesh continues to support international accountability processes, including proceedings at the International Court of Justice in The Gambia v. Myanmar, she said.

“Justice is not separate from repatriation; accountability and sustainable return must reinforce each other,” Shama said, according to reporting on her remarks.

She outlined what she described as a multidimensional diplomatic approach involving direct engagement with Myanmar, diplomacy through the United Nations, regional cooperation involving ASEAN and other partners, humanitarian and development initiatives in Rakhine, and continued international attention to accountability and the causes of the crisis.

The objective, she said, should remain enabling Rohingya refugees to return to their homeland safely and with dignity.

Bangladesh seeks shift from managing displacement to pursuing return

Shama said a National Strategy Formulation Committee on Rohingya Affairs under Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had been established to coordinate the government’s approach.

According to her, the committee is intended to bring together relevant ministries, agencies and security institutions to develop a coordinated strategy for swift and sustainable repatriation.

She also said another conference on the Rohingya crisis was expected to be held on the sidelines of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly, with Prime Minister Rahman due to participate.

Shama called for moving the international response away from prolonged displacement and crisis management toward conditions that could enable a safe and dignified return.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, meanwhile, urged sustained international engagement and said the Rohingya crisis should remain high on the international agenda rather than being overshadowed by other global conflicts.

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