Bangladesh Seeks International Cooperation for Safe Rohingya Repatriation: Shama Obaed

Bangladesh has sought effective cooperation from the international community to ensure the safe, dignified and voluntary repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar. At the same time, it has called for increased international assistance to address the additional environmental pressure created in climate-vulnerable areas, including Cox’s Bazar, due to hosting a large number of Rohingyas for a prolonged period.

Foreign Affairs State Minister Shama Obaed said this at a climate-related seminar held at the CIRDAP building in the capital on Tuesday (September 15). She said Bangladesh has been hosting a large number of Rohingyas displaced from Myanmar for nearly a decade. Their prolonged presence has placed significant pressure on the environment, forests, water resources and local infrastructure in Cox’s Bazar. Therefore, safe and dignified repatriation is essential as a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis, she said.

According to the United Nations, more than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees are currently in Bangladesh. Most of them live in densely populated camps in Cox’s Bazar. The camps are also vulnerable to various climate-related disasters, including cyclones, floods and landslides. The UN’s 2025-26 Joint Response Plan states that $710.5 million is required in 2026 for Rohingyas and host communities.

Shama Obaed said Bangladesh would also highlight Rohingya repatriation, measures to address the losses caused by climate change and increased international financing for affected countries at the upcoming COP31 conference. At the same time, four demands concerning Bangladesh’s interests, including climate financing, will be raised at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. Under Bangladesh’s leadership, climate and environmental protection have been set as key priorities at this year’s UN General Assembly session.

The state minister said Bangladesh is one of the countries most affected by climate change. Yet much of the financing required to address the climate crisis remains loan-based. Bangladesh wants climate financing in the form of grants and effective assistance rather than loans. In particular, international financing needs to be made more accessible to developing and vulnerable countries to address climate change-related loss and risk, she said.

She said that alongside international financing, environmentally friendly initiatives must also be increased at the local level to address the impacts of climate change. In line with the government’s political commitment, effective measures to reduce climate change risks, protect the environment and address disasters will continue, she said.

The UN’s Rohingya response plan has also identified rapid, voluntary and sustainable repatriation as one of its key objectives. At the same time, it has emphasised reducing the long-term pressure on local communities hosting Rohingyas and strengthening their capacity to cope with disasters and the impacts of climate change.

It may be mentioned that more than 700,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh following violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in 2017. Including those who arrived at different times earlier, the number of Rohingyas taking shelter in the country now exceeds 1.2 million. Although Bangladesh has long sought international cooperation for their repatriation, large-scale repatriation has yet to begin because security, rights and a conducive environment have not been ensured in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.