UNHCR calls for sustained support, solutions for Rohingyas

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi has underscored UNHCR's unwavering commitment to supporting more than 1 million Rohingyas hosted in Bangladesh as he concluded a four-day visit to the country on Sunday.

"Bangladesh has been an extraordinary host since the onset of the crisis, with local communities sharing the few resources they had with refugees," Grandi stated during his visit, a UNHCR press release said today.

The high commissioner stated that a dignified, voluntary, safe, and sustainable return to Myanmar remains the primary solution to this crisis. 

"Efforts to achieve this goal by helping create conditions for a return to the areas of origin of the refugees (Rohingyas) and the peaceful coexistence of communities living there, must be stepped up and supported," he said. 

During his visit to the Kutupalong Rohingya camps near Cox's Bazar, Grandi urged the international community to provide sustained financial support for the displaced people. 

"With the passing of time and in the absence of a solution for Rohingya refugees for now, mobilizing resources remains both challenging and a priority," he noted.

He urged partners not to forget Rohingyas. "If international support decreases dramatically- which may happen - the huge work done by the Bangladesh government, aid agencies, and Rohingyas themselves will be seriously impacted, putting thousands at risk of hunger, disease, and insecurity," he added. 

In Cox's Bazar, the High Commissioner spoke to Rohingyas who had recently arrived in the camps after fleeing the ongoing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State. 

Grandi also sat down with community-based groups like imams, female religious teachers, and a group of mothers concerned about the violence in the camps. 

"It is very important to support Bangladesh's efforts to maintain security in the camps. We must also continue programs for the most vulnerable, particularly women who have survived violence, and help young people to gain skills and resilience," Grandi emphasisded.

This is the High Commissioner's sixth visit to Bangladesh. 

It comes as UNHCR, together with the Government of Bangladesh and other humanitarian partners, prepares to launch the 2025 Joint Response Plan detailing the humanitarian needs of Rohingyas and their host communities.

In recent years, funding has remained a critical challenge, with previous response plans being insufficiently funded.

"Nowhere more than in the Cox's Bazar camps is the life-saving role of humanitarian aid clear," Grandi said in a post on X reflecting on his visit.