‘Humanitarian generosity cannot become an excuse for political inaction’: PM Tarique on Rohingya crisis at UNGA

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday said Bangladesh could not be expected to shelter the Rohingya indefinitely, calling on the international community to move beyond humanitarian assistance and take political action to secure their return to Myanmar.

“Humanitarian generosity cannot become an excuse for political inaction. Nor can Bangladesh be expected to shoulder this responsibility indefinitely,” Tarique said at a high-level side event on the Rohingya crisis in New York, co-convened by Bangladesh and The Gambia. 

PM Tarique laid out a five-point proposal centred on repatriation, protection of Rohingya in Myanmar, predictable humanitarian financing, international accountability and stronger action against cross-border criminal networks.

“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. 

Bangladesh currently hosts more than 1.2 million Rohingya, with thousands of children born in the camps every year, according to the prime minister.

“For over nine years, Bangladesh has shouldered an enormous humanitarian responsibility,” Tarique said. “Mothers dream about a secure future. Young people are growing up in uncertainty. Old people long for the homes and villages they were forced to leave behind.” 

He recalled earlier Rohingya influxes in 1978 and throughout the 1980s, saying some repatriation took place under governments led by late President Ziaur Rahman and later late Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. The crisis deteriorated sharply after the violence in Myanmar in 2017, he said. 

‘A security challenge for an entire region’

PM Tarique said Bangladesh had opened its borders because “humanity demanded it” and continued to provide food, healthcare and education to Rohingya refugees.

Around 6,000 learning centres provide education based on Myanmar’s curriculum, while young Rohingya receive skills and capacity-building training intended to prepare them for eventual reintegration in Rakhine State.

But Torque said refugee camps could not provide a permanent solution.

“We continue our best to improve the situation in the camps; but they are not an ideal place to live for a long period,” he said. 

The prolonged displacement was imposing “immense” social, economic, environmental and security pressures on Bangladesh and particularly host communities in Cox’s Bazar, he said.

Tarique also linked prolonged uncertainty in the camps to human trafficking, migrant smuggling, drug trafficking and other transnational crimes.

“Some people are leaving by boat to Malaysia, endangering their lives,” he said. “A crisis left unresolved in one country can become a security challenge for an entire region.” 

At the same time, international funding is shrinking.

The Joint Response Plan sought more than $934 million in 2025. The appeal for 2026 has been reduced to about $710 million, which Tarique said would cover only minimum lifesaving needs.

“This trend cannot continue,” he said. “We need their support more than ever.” 

Tarique said the underlying solution must nevertheless be found across the border.

“The crisis originated in Myanmar. Its solution lies in Myanmar,” he said.

Conditions in Rakhine State remained deeply concerning, he added, citing reports of forced recruitment, arbitrary detention, restrictions on movement, forced labour and other abuses against Rohingya.

“Serious violations have been reported by both the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army,” PM Tarique said, adding that conditions for a safe and dignified return remained difficult. 

Five demands for a path home

Tarique’s first proposal called for international and regional actors to establish “a clear and credible roadmap” for the early, safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingya.

Governments and the international community should use their leverage and support stabilisation efforts to create conditions inside Myanmar conducive to their return, he said. 

Second, he called for an end to violence against civilians, including Rohingya, and guarantees for their fundamental rights and security in their homeland.

Third, he urged donors to provide adequate and predictable humanitarian funding for refugees while also supporting Bangladesh’s host communities.

“Their development aspirations should not be retarded by their generous act of hospitality,” Tarique said. 

His fourth proposal focused on justice.

“Justice and accountability are indispensable for sustainable repatriation,” he said.

Tarique praised The Gambia for pursuing accountability at the International Court of Justice and highlighted the International Criminal Court’s role in seeking individual criminal accountability.

“Those responsible for grave crimes must be held accountable,” he said, calling for sustained international backing for judicial and investigative mechanisms. 

Finally, Tarique called for stronger regional and international cooperation against what he described as the “narco-economy,” as well as human trafficking, digital scams, illegal arms and other cross-border crimes fuelling instability. 

“Bangladesh does not want the Rohingya to remain displaced forever,” he said. “We want them to return their homes in Myanmar safely, voluntarily, with dignity and with their rights protected.”

If the necessary conditions were established, he said, Bangladesh was ready to facilitate their return.

“Bangladesh has carried its responsibility with humanity. Now the international community must carry its responsibility with conviction.” 

Tarique ended with an appeal for the Rohingya crisis not to become “another story of persecution, expulsion and displacement.”

“Let it be a story of justice, dignity and hope,” he said. “And above all, let it begin now.”

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