Episode: KPN 26-09-2026

Bangladesh plans high-level Rohingya event at 81st UN General Assembly

Bangladesh plans to convene a high-level event on the Rohingya crisis during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), seeking to bring renewed international attention to the prolonged displacement of Rohingya refugees and efforts toward their safe and sustainable return to Myanmar.

Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman disclosed the plan in a written response to a question from Gazipur-5 lawmaker AKM Fazlul Haque Milon.

Rahman said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is expected to participate as a keynote speaker at the high-level event, which Bangladesh hopes will help strengthen international support for resolving the Rohingya crisis and advancing repatriation efforts.

“We hope that the honourable prime minister will participate as a keynote speaker [at the high-level event],” Rahman said. “This will consolidate international support for the Rohingya crisis and repatriation.”

Rohingya crisis to be pushed higher on global agenda

Bangladesh says the planned event is part of a broader diplomatic effort to place the Rohingya crisis at the centre of international discussions.

The 81st session of the UN General Assembly opened on September 8 under the theme, “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All.”

The annual General Debate, during which heads of state, heads of government and other senior representatives present their countries’ positions on major international challenges, is scheduled for September 22–28 at UN headquarters in New York.

Bangladesh maintains that the root of the Rohingya crisis lies in Myanmar and that a durable solution must ultimately be found there.

Rahman said the BNP-led government is committed to pursuing the safe and sustainable repatriation of displaced Rohingya and is continuing diplomatic engagement with friendly governments, donor countries and international organisations.

“We are raising the Rohingya crisis with utmost importance in international forums, including the United Nations, to bring it to the centre of global discussion,” he said, adding that high-level diplomatic contacts are continuing.

Dhaka stresses repatriation and international support

According to Rahman, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has also raised the Rohingya issue during visits to China and Malaysia.

Bangladesh has hosted a large Rohingya refugee population since the Myanmar military’s 2017 crackdown in Rakhine State forced hundreds of thousands of people across the border.

Successive efforts to begin large-scale repatriation have faced significant obstacles, with Rohingya refugees repeatedly stressing that any return must guarantee their safety, dignity, rights and a sustainable future in Myanmar.

Rahman also criticised the previous Bangladeshi government’s handling of the crisis, alleging that its approach had complicated diplomatic efforts toward repatriation. The criticism reflects the current government’s position and was not independently substantiated in his parliamentary response.

“Our government does not see this crisis as a matter of political campaigning,” Rahman said. “Rather, we consider this crisis as a serious issue of national interest, security and humanitarian responsibility of Bangladesh.”

For Rohingya communities displaced from Myanmar, international attention remains closely tied to demands for a durable solution that includes protection, accountability, fundamental rights and conditions allowing refugees to return voluntarily, safely and with dignity.

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