For about a decade, Bangladesh has carried an enormous humanitarian responsibility by sheltering hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar -- a feat that has proven to be both commendable and challenging.
While the ultimate solution remains their safe, dignified, and sustainable repatriation, the reality is that their displacement has continued for far too long. In such circumstances, ensuring that the Rohingya have opportunities to build skills and prepare for a better future is both practical and humane.
The newly launched skills development program for 1,000 Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar is, therefore, a welcome initiative.
With training in areas including tailoring, dressmaking, block printing, batik, mobile phone servicing, gas burner repair, and climate-smart agriculture, alongside essential soft skills, the program can help participants become more self-reliant and better prepared for future livelihood opportunities.
This is especially important because humanitarian assistance, while essential, cannot be the only focus when a crisis becomes prolonged. Aid can keep people alive and meet immediate needs, but skills, education, and livelihood opportunities can provide people with dignity, confidence, and the capacity to rebuild their lives.
For Bangladesh -- which continues to shoulder significant social, economic, and environmental pressures from hosting the Rohingya -- programs such as this also demonstrate that supporting the refugees does not have to mean simply providing relief.
We can, within the limitations of the camp environment and existing regulations, help prepare a generation for a future beyond dependency.
At the same time, such initiatives must complement and not replace the international community’s responsibility to resolve the crisis.
Bangladesh cannot be expected to host the Rohingya indefinitely. Greater international pressure must be maintained on Myanmar to create conditions for safe and dignified repatriation.
Until that becomes possible, however, it is a wise idea to do some good for the community’s future. Skills development is an investment in people, and the Rohingya surely deserve that.