New York, UN
Julie Bishop, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar
Prime Minister Rahman,
Vice President Jallow,
President Rahman,
Excellencies,
It is imperative we continue to keep global attention on the desperate circumstances that Rohingya people face as the world’s largest group deemed stateless.
Nearly a decade on since the forced mass displacements of 2017, over 1.2 million people are currently seeking safety in Bangladesh.
For a newly born refugee in 2017, displacement is now their entire childhood, in what is now the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar.
Over 30,000 children are born into the camp each year.
Those who fled the violence in Myanmar do not know when they may return home.
And home is Rakhine State, where deprivation, conflict, restrictions, and fear persist.
The young are losing hope. Women and girls living in the camps tell me they fear increasing risks, including from armed groups and criminal networks.
The international community cannot stand by while Bangladesh continues to host the world’s largest refugee camps. Bangladesh is carrying an extraordinary responsibility – on behalf of Myanmar and the global community.
As I witnessed in Cox’s Bazar last year, funding shortfalls threaten food assistance, health care and education.
This means fewer protection services for women and girls facing gender-based violence as well as less funding for shelter and disaster preparedness, exposing refugees to deadly flash flooding and landslides, as we have seen this past monsoon season.
We acknowledge and appreciate donors who have helped the Joint Response Plan reach 66 per cent funding.
The United Nations is committed to transforming humanitarian assistance in the face of a changing funding landscape but those affected are desperately counting on strengthened support.
Without prospects for a safe and dignified life, the Rohingya refugees face greater risks of exploitation, trafficking, forced conscription and embarking on dangerous sea journeys to seek safety elsewhere.
I am deeply troubled by recent reports of a high number of recorded suicides and attempts in the camps, particularly among children. This is yet another desperate call for action.
Until returns to Myanmar are possible, assistance must continue.
Yet humanitarian assistance alone cannot resolve this crisis. The conditions facing Rohingya refugees today are inseparable from circumstances inside Myanmar.
The Rohingya crisis originated in Myanmar, and its durable solution lies there, with guidance from the Rohingya community.
It has been stressed to me that Nay Pyi Taw will resolve matters bilaterally with Dhaka. I am advised that Nay Pyi Taw remains committed to facilitating voluntary returns while continuing a verification process with Bangladesh.
Yet, as Nay Pyi Taw itself acknowledges, it does not control all of Rakhine State, a fiercely contested region where the non-state actor Arakan Army now controls most townships.
This raises the practical question of what assurances can be given that any bilateral negotiations will lead to a sustainable outcome.
In a recent exchange with the Nay Pyi Taw authorities, they recognized that cooperation with UNHCR is crucial for any repatriation efforts.
I have also advocated that addressing the underlying causes of the Rohingya issues in Myanmar must be an integral part of any inclusive political solution to the ongoing crisis.
The conditions for a voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return are not available – either in Rakhine State or elsewhere in Myanmar as violent armed conflict persists.
Civilians continue to face airstrikes and shelling, the contamination of landmines and unexploded ordnance, displacement, forced recruitment, arbitrary detention and other grave human rights violations.
Those who remain in Rakhine are caught in the fighting between the Myanmar military, the Arakan Army and other armed actors.
Humanitarian access is constrained. Limited health care, clean water and sanitation, compounded by the recent cholera outbreak, place vulnerable populations at greater risk.
Those who support immediate repatriation are ignoring the risks and could set dangerous precedents. No community should return to renewed danger.
Across the region, pushbacks, detention and deportation raise serious protection concerns. More Rohingya are undertaking dangerous sea journeys; many have died or disappeared.
The international community must uphold the right to seek asylum and the principle of non-refoulement.
Any return must be safe, dignified and genuinely voluntary, based on informed choices, and carried out with appropriate protection safeguards in line with international standards.
Justice and accountability are indispensable to any durable solution.
In 2019, The Gambia on behalf of the member states of the OIC commenced proceedings v. Myanmar in the ICJ, seeking to apply the Genocide Convention to the 2017 forced mass displacement.
The international community must prepare for the pending outcome of those proceedings and the implications for all parties.
During regular consultations with Rohingya communities, they have stressed that sustainable peace cannot be built on impunity and that justice is central to rebuilding the trust and confidence to return.
As Special Envoy, I continue to engage stakeholders across the political spectrum in Myanmar and the region.
Reflecting both Security Council Resolution 2669 and General Assembly resolutions, I continue to call for an end to violence, civilian protection, humanitarian access, the release of those arbitrarily detained, and an inclusive pathway towards peace.
An inclusive Myanmar must guarantee safety, justice, equality and opportunity for all with an end to discrimination and exclusion; dismantling policies that deny Rohingya citizenship, movement and services; building institutions that protect rights; and rejecting exploitation of communal tensions.
I will continue to work with Rohingya communities, including in Bangladesh where I will make another visit next month.
To prevent a further deterioration of the Rohingya crisis, our response must be equal to the scale of the challenge.
First, we must sustain international support, attention and political engagement.
We need regular follow-up to the 2025 General Assembly High-level Conference with measurable action.
Second, donors must help close the humanitarian funding gap.
Predictable and flexible financing is essential to preserve life-saving services, expand education and livelihood opportunities, and support host communities.
Member States, international financial institutions, development partners, private-sector actors, and Rohingya-led organizations all have a role to play.
Third, regional cooperation must be strengthened.
Full implementation of ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus remains paramount.
ASEAN, Bangladesh and neighbouring India and China are central to efforts to end violence, protect those fleeing conflict and encourage the parties in Myanmar to create the conditions for eventual return.
I call on the leaders and decision makers, including from the region, the OIC and other international partners to join me in collectively exploring concrete steps to support durable solutions in solidarity with the Rohingya people.
Fourth, all efforts must meaningfully include the Rohingya.
The United Nations stands ready to help align efforts by the new Government of Bangladesh and its newly established National Strategy Formulation Committee on Rohingya Affairs with international norms and standards.
Excellencies,
Time is not on our side.
Continued armed conflict across Myanmar is pushing durable solutions further away.
Hate speech, disinformation and misinformation in Myanmar and the region are also deepening division and anxiety, creating new risks for refugee and host communities alike.
The international community has the tools to prevent further suffering, preserve hope and support a pathway towards a durable solution.
What is required is political will, coordinated action and sustained resources.
Civilians should not bear the cost of international fatigue.
This must not become a forgotten crisis.
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