Rohingya News Desk
August 20, 2025, Bangladesh’s interim government is preparing to host a three-day international conference in Cox’s Bazar from August 25, bringing together global stakeholders to address the ongoing Rohingya crisis.
The event marks the eighth anniversary of the 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar, which forced around 750,000 Rohingya to flee Rakhine State. In the past 18 months alone, another 150,000 Rohingya have crossed into Bangladesh, adding to nearly 1 million refugees now living in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
Conference and Global Preparations
The Cox’s Bazar conference is being framed as a precursor to the UN high-level event on September 30 in New York, held alongside the General Assembly. Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, will attend as chief guest, joined by foreign ministers, international envoys, UN officials, and Bangladeshi representatives.
Organizers said the conference will seek to mobilize international support for both humanitarian aid and repatriation. Five working sessions on August 24–25 will focus on assistance strategies, repatriation pathways, and will also include cultural programs and exhibitions highlighting camp conditions. A camp visit is scheduled for August 26.
National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman said the gathering is part of preparations for the UN event, which is backed by 106 member states. He confirmed another international conference on the Rohingya issue is scheduled in Doha, Qatar, on December 6.
“The most important thing is: how long can you keep them with international aid? They have to return home. That’s the real issue,” Khalilur said.
He noted that since 2023, nearly 200,000 more Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh amid clashes between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army, while international funding has sharply declined. Against a $934 million appeal, only $400 million has been pledged so far.
Exclusion of Rohingya Voices
Despite the scale of the crisis, no Rohingya representatives from Cox’s Bazar camps will attend the UN or Doha conferences, a Bangladeshi diplomat confirmed.
Rohingya activist Ro Aung Myo criticized the exclusion of refugee youth leaders, human rights defenders, and journalists, saying their absence deprives the dialogue of voices most affected by the crisis.
Skepticism Over Commitment
While Bangladesh maintains that safe, voluntary, and dignified repatriation to Myanmar is the only sustainable solution, analysts question the seriousness of international engagement.
UK-based conflict analyst Ashfaque Ronnie said most governments are sending only junior representatives, describing the Cox’s Bazar event as more of a “PR showpiece” than a genuine step toward repatriation.
Meanwhile, Myanmar’s junta will be represented by its embassy in Dhaka, while the Arakan Army’s political wing confirmed it had not been invited.
At a Crossroads
Eight years after the mass exodus, the Rohingya remain in limbo — squeezed by worsening camp conditions, dwindling aid, and uncertainty over repatriation.
The upcoming Cox’s Bazar and New York conferences will test whether the international community is prepared to move beyond rhetoric and deliver a path toward justice, protection, and a durable solution for one of the world’s most protracted refugee crises.
