Rohingya crisis: United Nations adopts resolution for high-level conference

The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution outlining the framework for a high-level conference on the plight of the Rohingya and other minority groups in Myanmar.

Sponsored by Malaysia and Finland, the resolution was passed on Tuesday, with 141 votes in favour and 10 abstentions.

No member states opposed it, according to a media statement issued by the Chief Advisor’s Press Wing.

During the open debate, Russia proposed several amendments to the text, which Bangladesh declined to accept.

The country’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Md Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury, subsequently called for a vote, leading to the resolution’s adoption.

The move comes as Bangladesh prepares to convene a special conference on the Rohingya crisis in New York this September, an initiative the interim government views as critical to reviving international engagement in the long-standing humanitarian emergency.

More than 750,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar’s Rakhine State and sought refuge in Bangladesh after Aug 25, 2017, in the wake of a military crackdown.

They joined an estimated 400,000 others already sheltering in overcrowded camps near Cox’s Bazar, a coastal district where one of the world’s largest refugee settlements now exists.

Under mounting international pressure, Myanmar’s then-government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, signed a repatriation agreement with Bangladesh in late 2017.

But two attempts to return refugees in 2019 failed, as the Rohingya refused to go back without guarantees of safety and citizenship.

The situation deteriorated further in 2021 when Myanmar’s military, led by Gen Min Aung Hlaing, seized power in a coup, effectively ending any prospect of diplomatic negotiations.

Subsequent efforts mediated by China also collapsed.

The crisis has since been compounded by fresh violence in Rakhine State, leading to another wave of Rohingya arrivals in Bangladesh.

In a recent statement, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus said more than 80,000 additional refugees had crossed the border.

Yunus has sought to galvanise international attention, proposing a high-level conference at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

The initiative aims to bring together key stakeholders, including donor nations and regional powers, to explore new pathways for repatriation.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who visited the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar earlier this month, underscored the urgency of a long-term solution.

After sharing an Iftar with displaced families, he reiterated the United Nations’ commitment to securing “a voluntary, safe and sustainable return” for all refugees.

“Ultimately, we have to find a solution in Myanmar,” Guterres said.