Dhaka, September 17, 2025:
At the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka, the Neeti Gobeshona Kendra convened a full-day national dialogue under the theme “Amplifying the Rohingya Voices and Aspirations: A Strategic Dialogue Ahead of UNGA 2025.” The event, bringing together Rohingya representatives, Bangladeshi policymakers, international organizations, and civil society, sought to craft a national consensus and policy direction before the upcoming UN General Assembly.
The dialogue began with an inaugural session stressing that the Rohingya crisis is not merely a humanitarian challenge but a deeply political one—rooted in Myanmar’s ethnic politics, regional geopolitics, and the failures of the international system. Participants argued that solutions must go beyond aid, requiring political vision, democratic frameworks, and regional cooperation.
Opening Session: Setting the Stage
Professor Sk. Tawfique M. Haque, Trustee of Neeti Gobeshona Kendra, opened the session by situating the organization’s long-standing work on Rohingya issues since its founding in 2004. He emphasized that the purpose of the dialogue was not only to explore Bangladesh’s position but also to reflect the aspirations of Rohingya themselves. He noted the presence of Rohingya representatives, including youth injured by landmines, and explained that just last week the center organized a youth consultation in Chattogram.
Ambassador Mohammad Sufiur Rahman delivered the keynote presentation. He described the context as one of “uncertainty and deepening challenges.” He presented a map showing large swathes of Rakhine State under Arakan Army control and warned that neither India nor China was taking serious interest in addressing the crisis. International organizations, he said, were losing momentum as well.
Rahman highlighted the dire conditions inside Rakhine: harassment at checkpoints, food shortages approaching famine-like levels, inflation above 80 percent, and widespread displacement. He noted that Myanmar’s military was intensifying attacks to regain lost ground, while both the junta and the Arakan Army continued to repress Rohingya. “There is marginalization and murder from both sides,” he observed.
He set two goals for the dialogue: first, to create a space where Rohingya could speak of their own expectations; second, to bring humanitarian actors and civil society into alignment. He identified three accelerants of the crisis: declining international interest, neglect of Myanmar’s human rights violations, and disproportionate focus on armed group activities instead of Rohingya rights.
Rahman’s conclusion was stark: Rakhine’s economy is collapsing, with per capita income only $400 and 95 percent of its people at risk of poverty. Only one-fifth of local food production can meet demand. He argued that without external support, millions are at risk of hunger.
Humanitarian and Political Perspectives
Following Rahman’s keynote, Peter Kern, Head of the International Organization for Migration’s Bangladesh Sub-Office, described the Rohingya crisis as “a political problem born in Myanmar, whose solution lies in Myanmar.” He praised Bangladesh’s generosity in hosting such an unprecedented number of refugees, saying the world owes the country recognition. Kern warned, however, that “the Rohingya are disappearing from the global conversation.” He stressed the need for joint international action and reaffirmed that Bangladesh cannot bear the burden alone.
Nurul Islam, Chairman of the Arakan Rohingya National Alliance (ARNA), delivered one of the day’s most forceful speeches. “Rohingya are indigenous to Arakan,” he declared, describing the crisis as one of the world’s worst genocides. He recalled how houses were destroyed, children burned alive, and nearly a million Rohingya forced into Bangladesh in 2017. He described new mass graves, fresh arrivals into Bangladesh, and continued repression under the Arakan Army.
Islam laid out a clear list of demands: international trials at the ICC, sanctions on perpetrators, fact-finding missions, citizenship for Rohingya, access to higher education, and guarantees of safe and dignified repatriation. “Genocide is not a one-day event,” he said. “It is a long process. And this cannot be secured by Bangladesh alone—the international community must take responsibility.”
Chief Guest: Political Solutions over Technical Fixes
The session’s chief guest, poet and philosopher Farhad Mazhar, argued that the United Nations cannot resolve the Rohingya crisis by itself. “It is not a technical problem—it is a political question,” he said, insisting that the solution lies in the unity of people, democratic institutions, and historical experience.
He warned that regional geopolitics cannot be ignored. India’s role, he said, will have major implications in the days ahead. He described camps not only as humanitarian sites but as “a military problem” that impacts Bangladesh’s security. He criticized the government’s humanitarian corridor policy, arguing that such approaches miss the political essence of the crisis.
Mazhar linked the Rohingya issue to broader threats of authoritarianism and environmental degradation. “Bangladesh cannot afford to become the next Syria,” he said, urging greater sovereignty, stronger defense planning, and justice for Myanmar’s crimes.
Second Session: International, Civil Society, and Rohingya Voices
The second session, moderated by Dr. Israt Zakia Sultana of North South University, shifted into a bilingual format to include Rohingya voices directly.
Foreign Ministry official Md. Kamruzzaman thanked the organizers and insisted that “sympathy is not enough.” He stressed the need for renewed funding, accountability for perpetrators, and sustainable solutions, highlighting recent consultations in Cox’s Bazar.
Journalist Raheed Ejaz of Prothom Alo argued that to understand the crisis, its roots in the 1960s must be revisited. He condemned the genocide as a “heinous act” and warned that failure to create policies will allow another generation to grow up stateless. “Those who arrived as children are now youth,” he said, noting the risk of militarization.
Rohingya representative Shantuk, once a Buddhist and now a Muslim living in the camps, spoke emotionally: “They raped our women, looted our property. Bangladesh saved our lives, and for that we are grateful. But unless the UN acts, our lives will be destroyed.”
Retired Lieutenant General Mahfuzur Rahman, with decades of military experience, described the crisis as “Myanmar’s social problem, where hard power dominates.” He recalled the 2016–17 clearance operations displacing 93,000 people as a “test of the international pulse.” He warned that another decisive phase may be approaching, with risks of broader conflict.
Landmine victims Md. Hasan and Nabi Hossain shared their harrowing experiences of losing limbs. “I lost my leg. Now I only want to educate my children so they can have a future,” one said, drawing tears in the room.
Brigadier General Hasan Nasir reminded participants that aid cuts threaten lives. “Food allowance reductions are a crime,” he said, urging that repatriation must be safe, voluntary, and rights-based.
From Turkey, Islamic Community representative Masud Gulbahar promised to amplify the crisis in Europe, linking it to Palestine as another case of global injustice.
Rohingya teacher Abul Yusuf described a systematic genocide spanning four decades. He cited killings as recent as August 2024, where 200 people were massacred. “We live like prisoners, unable to move or work without permission,” he said.
Mazhar intervened again, this time calling for military intervention and greater lethality in Bangladesh’s defense posture. He argued that religious nationalism and geopolitics drive the crisis, and warned that without decisive measures, regional stability will deteriorate further.
Finally, government adviser M. Sakhawat Hossain stressed the need for international resolution. “We do not want this crisis prolonged,” he said. “It is a humanitarian and international issue, not just Bangladesh’s burden.” He underlined the lack of coordinated South Asian response and called on ASEAN and others to step up. While acknowledging Bangladesh’s commitment to repatriation, he dismissed military solutions as unrealistic: “We are too poor to carry this forever. The solution must come peacefully, and soon.”
A Shared Sense of Urgency
The first two sessions of the Dhaka dialogue revealed both despair and determination. Despair, because the international community’s interest is fading, conditions in Rakhine are worsening, and refugee camps face aid cuts and rising insecurity. Determination, because speakers from different walks—diplomats, generals, civil society, Rohingya survivors—insisted that the crisis must not be normalized or forgotten.
The message was clear: the Rohingya crisis is political at its core. Its solution lies not only in humanitarian aid but in justice, rights, and regional cooperation. And without urgent action, the cost of inaction will not only fall on Rohingya but will destabilize the entire region.
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