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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday proposed a five-point action plan to pave the way for the early, safe and dignified return of Rohingyas to Myanmar, saying the time had come to move from managing displacement to ending it.
Addressing a high-level side event at the UN headquarters, he called on international and regional stakeholders to establish a clear roadmap for sustainable Rohingya repatriation.
“The time has come to move from empathy to a search for root causes and their solutions, from promises to action and from managing displacement to ending it,” he said.
The event, co-convened by Bangladesh and The Gambia, was attended by representatives of various countries and international organisations.
Tarique said more than 1.2 million Rohingyas were sheltering in Bangladesh and urged the international community to share responsibility for creating conditions for their safe and dignified return.
“Bangladesh does not want the Rohingya to remain displaced forever. We want them to return to their homes in Myanmar safely, voluntarily, with dignity and with their rights protected,” he said.
Under his first proposal, the prime minister called for a credible roadmap for repatriation and urged international stakeholders to use their leverage to create conditions conducive to return.
He also called for an end to violence against civilians in Myanmar, including Rohingyas, and stressed that their fundamental rights and security must be guaranteed.
Tarique urged the international community to ensure adequate and predictable humanitarian assistance for Rohingyas and host communities, saying Bangladesh’s generosity should not undermine the development aspirations of local communities.
He also stressed that justice and accountability were essential for sustainable repatriation, welcoming The Gambia’s efforts before the International Court of Justice and highlighting the roles of the International Criminal Court and other international justice mechanisms.
In his fifth proposal, he called for stronger regional and international cooperation to combat drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal arms and other transnational crimes contributing to instability in the region.
“The crisis originated in Myanmar. Its solution lies in Myanmar,” he said.
The prime minister said Rohingyas in Rakhine State continued to face serious violations, including forced recruitment, arbitrary detention, restrictions on movement and forced labour.
He said Bangladesh had hosted Rohingyas for more than nine years, providing food, healthcare, education and skills training, but warned that humanitarian assistance could not substitute for political action.
“Nor can Bangladesh be expected to shoulder this responsibility indefinitely,” he said.
Tarique also warned that prolonged displacement was creating security challenges, including human trafficking, migrant smuggling and drug trafficking, while expressing concern over declining international humanitarian assistance.
He urged the global community to ensure that the Rohingyas’ future was defined by “justice, dignity and hope” rather than persecution and displacement.
