UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi met Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Monday and agreed that mobilizing fresh resources and ensuring just, safe solutions in Myanmar for all Rohingya remain urgent priorities.
“As always, it was an honour to meet Chief Adviser Prof Yunus ahead of the UN conference on the Rohingya and other minorities in Myanmar. We agreed that mobilizing new resources and seeking just, safe solutions in Myanmar for all Rohingya people are urgent priorities,” he said after the meeting.
The meeting was held on Monday (US time) ahead of the high-level international conference on the Rohingya crisis at the United Nations headquarters, scheduled to begin at 8pm (Bangladesh time) on Tuesday.
The two leaders held in-depth discussions on key aspects of the crisis, including the worsening humanitarian situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, recent cuts in international aid affecting more than one million refugees in Cox’s Bazar, and ongoing diplomatic efforts to ensure the voluntary, safe, and dignified return of the Rohingya to their homeland, said Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder on Tuesday.
Chief Adviser Prof Yunus noted that about 150,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh over the past 18 months, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis and raising regional tensions.
He expressed optimism that Tuesday’s landmark international conference—the first of its kind focused solely on the Rohingya—would produce a clear roadmap for resolving the crisis.
Prof Yunus said the event is expected to galvanize international support, particularly in mobilizing much-needed funding for the more than 1.3 million Rohingya refugees now living in Bangladesh.
Grandi praised last month’s regional conference in Cox’s Bazar, where Rohingya community leaders actively participated in the four-day discussions for the first time.
He encouraged Bangladesh to intensify its diplomatic outreach, particularly with major global powers, to help achieve a durable solution to the crisis.
Also attending the meeting was Dr Khalilur Rahman, national security adviser, who briefed the UNHCR chief on the ongoing verification process of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. “To date, approximately 250,000 Rohingya have been verified,” he said.
Meanwhile, Julie Bishop, former acting prime minister of Australia and currently the UN special envoy on Myanmar, also called on Chief Adviser Yunus at a hotel in New York on Monday.
Their discussion covered the broader Rohingya crisis, the situation in Rakhine, the severe funding shortfall affecting Myanmar refugees, and key issues expected to be addressed in Tuesday’s conference.
Prof Yunus stressed the urgency of the matter, saying: “The return of the Rohingya people to their homeland is the only viable solution. There is no alternative.”
He added: “Let’s hope tomorrow’s conference brings forth some meaningful proposals. This is not an issue the world can afford to forget.”
Bishop emphasized the need to diversify funding sources for Rohingya support, calling on OIC member states to increase their contributions.
Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, SDGs Affairs Principal Coordinator Lamiya Morshed, and senior NCP leader Tasnim Jara were also present at the meeting.
