The United Nations Special Envoy on Myanmar, Julie Bishop, has called for an early political settlement in Myanmar to pave the way for the safe and dignified return of the Rohingya to their homeland. During her visit to Dhaka on Sunday(February 23), Bishop met with Md. Touhid Hossain, adviser for foreign affairs to Bangladesh's interim government, and Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, to discuss sustainable solutions to the ongoing Rohingya crisis.  

Bangladesh currently hosts over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, following a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar in August 2017. The influx continues as the escalating conflict between Myanmar’s junta government and ethnic rebel groups has forced an additional 100,000 Rohingyas to seek shelter in Bangladesh.  

Bishop emphasized the importance of maintaining global attention on the crisis and expressed hope that the proposed UN conference on the Rohingya issue, backed by Professor Yunus, would generate meaningful international action. She also underscored that the repatriation of the Rohingya remains the only viable solution to restore their fundamental human rights and dignity.  

"Their return to Myanmar, with guaranteed safety, citizenship rights, and access to basic services, is critical not just for Bangladesh and Myanmar but for the stability of the entire region," Bishop said.  

In their meeting, Hossain highlighted the burden the crisis has placed on Bangladesh and stressed the importance of international pressure to bring peace to Myanmar. "A failure to find a sustainable solution will not only continue to destabilize Bangladesh and Myanmar but could also disrupt peace and security across South and Southeast Asia," he warned.  

Meanwhile, Professor Yunus sought Bishop’s support in mobilizing fresh international donors for humanitarian assistance, particularly as uncertainty grows around U.S. foreign policy directions. He also called for her central role in facilitating the upcoming UN conference on the Rohingya crisis, which Malaysia and Finland have agreed to co-facilitate.  

Bishop is expected to visit the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar on Monday, ahead of UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ scheduled visit in mid-March, where he will also meet with the displaced community.  

The discussions reflect a growing consensus that repatriation, under international guarantees for safety and citizenship, remains the only sustainable solution to restore the rights of the Rohingya and ease the humanitarian crisis in Bangladesh.
Until a durable political solution is found and the rights of the Rohingya are restored, the crisis will remain a pressing humanitarian challenge with far-reaching consequences for regional stability and global human rights
 

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