Episode: KPN 12-09-2026

Bangladesh seeks stronger international cooperation for safe Rohingya Repatriation

Bangladesh has renewed its call for stronger international cooperation to ensure the safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam linking the prolonged displacement crisis to growing environmental pressures on the climate-vulnerable country.

Shama made the remarks on Tuesday during a discussion titled “Pursuing Climate Justice Through Climate Diplomacy” at the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka, as Bangladesh prepares to raise climate change and the Rohingya crisis at upcoming international meetings.

She said Bangladesh has been hosting about 1.3 million Rohingya for nearly a decade and argued that the prolonged refugee situation has placed additional environmental pressure on an already climate-vulnerable region.

Bangladesh calls for international support for Rohingya return

Shama said Bangladesh is seeking international cooperation to facilitate the return of Rohingya to Myanmar under conditions that are safe, voluntary and dignified.

The government has repeatedly maintained that repatriation remains its preferred long-term solution to the prolonged refugee crisis. In earlier diplomatic engagements this year, Shama called for international partners to help identify practical pathways toward repatriation while humanitarian assistance continues in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char.

Bangladesh has also called for international pressure on Myanmar to help create conditions for Rohingya return. In July, Shama urged BIMSTEC countries to take a more active role in efforts toward what she described as safe, voluntary and sustainable repatriation.

Rohingya crisis intersects with environmental pressure

At Tuesday’s event, Shama placed the Rohingya issue within a broader discussion of Bangladesh’s climate vulnerability.

She said hosting around 1.3 million Rohingya for nearly a decade has created additional environmental pressures in the country, reinforcing Dhaka’s call for greater international responsibility in addressing the refugee crisis.

Bangladesh has also highlighted the financial strain associated with the humanitarian response. At a United Nations forum in July, the government said the Rohingya response faced a 37 percent funding gap, with an immediate shortfall of around $261 million.

The prolonged displacement remains particularly significant for Cox’s Bazar, where most Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are hosted.

Rohingya crisis to be raised at UN General Assembly

The Rohingya crisis is also expected to feature prominently during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to New York for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Rahman is scheduled to address the General Assembly on September 24. Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam said the prime minister’s speech would cover issues including climate change, sustainable development and the Rohingya crisis.

The prime minister is also scheduled to attend a high-level side event on the Rohingya crisis on September 23, where he is expected to seek international cooperation for the earliest possible repatriation of Rohingya to Myanmar.

Shama has previously said Bangladesh’s diplomatic efforts are focused on maintaining international attention on the crisis, strengthening humanitarian assistance, promoting accountability and creating conditions for Rohingya to return home.

Bangladesh pushes climate justice and grant-based financing

Climate diplomacy was another central focus of Tuesday’s discussion.

Shama said Bangladesh wants international climate financing to provide effective support rather than increasing the debt burden of climate-vulnerable countries. She said Dhaka would advocate for stronger climate action and promote environmentally friendly jute products at international forums.

She said women and children are among those most severely affected by climate-related disasters and stressed that their protection should receive greater international attention.

Bangladesh has also established a separate climate change wing within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strengthen climate diplomacy and coordinate the country’s international engagement on climate issues.

COP31 also on Bangladesh’s diplomatic agenda

Bangladesh plans to use the UN Climate Change Conference, COP31, scheduled for November, to press its climate priorities and promote the environmental benefits of jute products.

Shama said Bangladesh’s traditional jute products could contribute to reducing dependence on plastics and other environmentally harmful materials.

The government is also emphasizing tree planting, canal excavation and other measures aimed at strengthening environmental resilience and mitigating climate impacts.

For Bangladesh, the government’s diplomatic agenda increasingly connects the Rohingya response with broader questions of humanitarian financing, environmental pressure and international burden-sharing, while continuing to identify safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation to Myanmar as its objective for resolving the prolonged displacement crisis.

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