Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has warned that the protracted Rohingya crisis could jeopardise security and stability across Asia, urging a united global effort to find sustainable solutions.

Speaking at a high-level roundtable in Doha titled “Social and Environmental Challenges Around Forcibly Displaced Populations – The Case of the Rohingya”, Prof Yunus stressed the urgent need for action.

“The longer the crisis continues, the greater the threat to regional peace and development,” he said.

He pointed to rising criminal activity and growing desperation in the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh, warning that the situation could spiral further if repatriation efforts remain stalled.

Prof Yunus criticised the declining international focus on the Rohingya issue amid other global conflicts. 

He called on Qatar to use its diplomatic influence to urge Myanmar to begin repatriation and to rally the OIC and other nations to support the cause, both politically and financially.

He highlighted the worsening situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, now largely controlled by the Arakan Army, which has led to fresh displacements. As of February 2025, over 538,000 people are internally displaced in the region.

Bangladesh, he said, is sheltering about 1.3 million Rohingyas, including 32,000 newborns each year, purely on humanitarian grounds. However, funding shortfalls threaten ongoing relief efforts.

He noted that the 2024 Joint Response Plan was only 64.4% funded, and future aid remains uncertain. He urged Qatar to help ensure stable support.

Prof Yunus also announced that Bangladesh plans to host a UN-backed high-level conference on the Rohingya issue in New York later this year, seeking broad international engagement.

He thanked the Qatar Foundation for hosting the event, emphasising the need for practical, not just symbolic, collaboration.

BDST: 1433 HRS, APR 23, 2025
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