General Assembly Urges Protection, Justice, Lasting Solutions for Rohingya as Crisis Deepens
United Nations Special Envoy for Myanmar Warns Elections Could Trigger Unrest
As the Rohingya flee brutal attacks and persecution in Myanmar, speakers at the General Assembly today called for safe zones, sustained international support and justice, including by referring the situation to the International Criminal Court.
A high-level meeting on the crisis facing Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar — convened pursuant to a General Assembly resolution in fall 2024 — seeks to sustain international attention, assess conditions on the ground and discuss a concrete, time-bound plan for a sustainable resolution, including steps to ensure the voluntary, safe and dignified return of displaced persons.
In her opening remarks, Annalena Baerbock, President of the General Assembly, recalled that over the past eight years, millions of Rohingya have been violently displaced from what they once knew as home. “They fled with children on their backs, with nothing but the money in their pockets,” she said, noting that many have been forced to live in refugee camps, with boys and girls spending their entire childhood in tattered tents. Over 3.5 million Rohingya inside Myanmar desperately need humanitarian assistance. Bangladesh, already hosting 1.1 million Rohingya, “cannot shoulder this burden indefinitely”, she warned.
On the dire situation in Cox’s Bazar — location of the world’s largest refugee camp — she described how even access to water is scarce. One young refugee put it starkly: “If water is life, then life here is on hold — because it doesn’t flow where it should.” Yet, the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for Myanmar is only 12 per cent funded. “Rohingya men, women and children have not chosen to live in refugee camps,” she stressed. “Our response must match [their extraordinary resilience].”
“The systematic architecture of genocide against the Rohingya has shaped my deep commitment to justice,” said Rofik Husson, Founder of the Arakan Youth Peace Network. Despite decades of persecution, Rohingyas wish to live peacefully with diverse communities in their homeland. Ending their insecurity is “a test for this Assembly and a test for humanity itself”, he said, calling for an UN-supervised safe zone in northern Rakhine State and cross-border humanitarian corridors from Bangladesh.
From Refugee Camp to New York University
Maung Sawyeddollah, Founder of the Rohingya Students Network, said that he is the first Rohingya from a refugee camp in Bangladesh to study at New York University. But he may be forced to abandon studies without financial aid and is urging international support for Rohingya students. “There are hundreds of Rohingya students like me in the refugee camp in Bangladesh forced to destroy their futures with no access to higher education,” he said. “It’s not a big burden for a university to offer one or two scholarships to Rohingya students in an academic year […]. It’s also not a big burden for a Member State to offer a few scholarships to Rohingya students annually,” he implored.
Lucky Karim, Executive Director of Refugee Women for Peace and Justice, recounted fleeing as a 14-year-old girl to Bangladesh. Genocide is continuing, and there is a long road ahead before the Rohingya can return home, she said. She urged frank discussion about conditions for return: How can refugees go back amid ongoing starvation in Rakhine State, or achieve coexistence after trauma? “Amidst many competing crises, we are concerned that our plight will fall by the wayside,” she warned, but she affirmed that Rohingya themselves want to lead in shaping solutions, with international support.
“This conference must be the beginning of change, of a lasting solution over a temporary fix,” said Wai Wai Nu, Founder of the Women’s Peace Network. She called for immediate protection of Rohingya through a humanitarian corridor along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border, targeted sanctions against perpetrators of mass atrocities, and engagement with the pro-democracy movement. “Justice is not optional. It is the only deterrent, the only path to peace,” she said, urging that humanitarian assistance be expanded and that host countries allow refugees to work and study.
Mixed Views on December Elections
Julie Bishop, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar, said that the initial international condemnation of the military takeover has subsided, and Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has been welcomed to high-level regional meetings with global and regional leaders, adding that his visits included travel to the capitals of Security Council members and that reference was made to instances of lifting sanctions.
On planned elections starting 28 December in 102 townships under tightened security, she said: “Views of ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] members range from strident opposition to the holding of elections under current circumstances, to resignation to the inevitable, to vocal support for elections as a potential circuit breaker,” she observed, cautioning: “There is a significant risk that the election planned for December, under current circumstances, will increase resistance, protest and violence and further undermine the fragile state of the country.”
Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, described the Rohingya’s plight as “somewhat unique — not only do they continue to be discriminated, deprived of rights and abused, but they are also caught in one of several ethnic conflicts affecting the country”. He recalled that 750,000 fled after “unspeakable violence” by Myanmar’s military, while those who remain face “the burning of their villages, exclusion from work and services, the continuous denial of their very identity”. Today, 5.1 million are displaced, including 1.6 million abroad. The humanitarian response remains “chronically underfunded”, he said, stressing the looming risks of “children dying of malnutrition, or people dying at sea as more refugees embark on dangerous boat journeys”.
Tan Sri Othman Hashim, ASEAN Special Envoy on Myanmar, noted that Rakhine State continues to bear the brunt of conflict, compounding a plight that predates the 2021 coup. “Inclusive dialogue is a key imperative in finding a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Myanmar,” he said, but Rohingyas and other minorities are often excluded because they are not recognized as ethnic groups. “The situation in Myanmar, particularly the plight of Rohingya and other minorities, must be reversed,” he underlined, calling for an immediate end to violence, scaled-up humanitarian funding, and safe, voluntary and dignified return for refugees.
Life in Myanmar ‘Another Grim Chapter’ in History
Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, described life in Myanmar as maybe “the worst it has ever been for the Rohingya and other minorities, marking another grim chapter in the long history of persecution”. He noted “utter hopelessness” in the eyes of women and girls he met in Rakhine State. Meanwhile, elections planned by the military “can be neither free nor fair” as Rohingya stripped of citizenship will not be allowed to vote. “The way out of this crisis is through de-escalation, protection of civilians and humanitarian access — not elections,” he said, urging sustained support for refugees in Bangladesh and referral of the situation to the International Criminal Court.
Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet of the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, speaking on behalf of UN chief António Guterres, highlighted the plight of the Rohingya, stripped of citizenship, confined to camps with little access to basic services and forced to flee to Bangladesh in large numbers. “It is not enough to take stock of the status quo,” he said, stressing that “we must also foster solidarity and forge solutions”.
Crisis Cannot Drag on for Decades
In the ensuing discussion, Member States renewed calls for urgent action to resolve the protracted Rohingya crisis, warning that the situation cannot be allowed to drag on for decades.
Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser of the Interim Government, Muhammad Yunus, stressed that “since the genocide began, the plight of Rohingyas continues,” underlining that the crisis “originated in Myanmar and its solution lies in Myanmar”. With aid declining, he warned that “the only peaceful option is to begin their repatriation” and described Bangladesh as a “victim of the crisis” forced to bear “huge financial, social and environmental costs”. He urged the international community to “devise a practical road map for safe, dignified repatriation” and “exert effective pressure on Myanmar” to halt persecution and stabilize Rakhine. “The world cannot keep Rohingya waiting any longer,” he said.
Echoing this call, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono stressed that “the Rohingya’s tragedy is inseparable from Myanmar’s crisis.” Peace, he said, requires inclusive dialogue in line with ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus. Many who arrived in Indonesia were victims of trafficking, he said, highlighting the need for a regional approach anchored in shared responsibility. “Eight years of displacement is already far too long,” he warned, stating: “We cannot allow it to become decades of despair.”
Reject ‘Scam Election’, Says Myanmar’s Delegate
The representative of Myanmar, aligned with the Government ousted by the military junta in 2021, pointed to continuing aerial attacks by the junta, which overshadow any near-term prospect for the safe, dignified and voluntary repatriation of the Rohingyas. The military junta’s coup is “the sole culprit and the root cause of the destruction of Myanmar’s peace and security”, he said, recalling the National Unity Government’s 2021 pledge to resolve the Rohingya crisis. “First and foremost, we must end this military dictatorship and its atrocities,” he asserted, urging all States to deny support to the junta and reject its planned “scam election.”
The representative of Poland expressed concern about the use of advanced technologies against civilians. “Such deadly means of warfare would not be available to the perpetrators without support from State actors, including Russia, which seems to be sharing its own terrifying know-how from the brutal invasion of Ukraine.” He urged Member States to refrain from enabling the Myanmar military’s attacks on civilians and welcomed calls by the European Union for a global embargo.
In opening the case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice, Gambia’s speaker declared that it was acting to protect the Rohingya from “genocide” and urged the Court to hold Myanmar accountable for “systematic” acts of violence, mass deportation and destruction of communities. “The Gambia will present its case as to why Myanmar is responsible for the Rohingya genocide and must make reparations to its victims,” he noted.
The representative of the European Union, speaking in its capacity as observer, warned that restricted humanitarian access “risks pushing vulnerable populations toward famine and malnutrition”. Commending Bangladesh’s generosity, he stressed: “The Rohingya deserve dignity, safe return, full citizenship and equal rights — justice cannot wait.”
On behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Türkiye’s delegate condemned a deliberate and systematic strategy of ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims. Myanmar, he asserted, must fully comply with binding decisions of the International Court of Justice that require it to prevent genocide and safeguard evidence. For its part, the international community should intensify diplomatic pressure, impose targeted sanctions and strengthen support for host countries.
Pledges of Humanitarian Aid
Charles Harder, Special Envoy for Best Future Generations of the United States, voiced alarm that “Myanmar’s military regime continues to escape accountability for their atrocities.” Calling for a ceasefire, humanitarian access and regional burden-sharing, he announced Washington, D.C.’s intent to provide over $60 million in assistance for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. The United Kingdom also announced an additional $36 million in funding, urging that “in a world with so many humanitarian crises, it is vital that we do not allow the Rohingya crisis to be forgotten.”
Japan’s delegate commended Bangladesh for hosting over 1.1 million Rohingya and pledged continued support in education, training and food security. Since the 2021 coup, Tokyo has provided over $200 million in humanitarian assistance, he said, and urged the junta to immediately stop the violence and restore democracy.
Thailand’s representative reported that it continues to receive Rohingya arrivals by land and sea, providing them with assistance and screens for human trafficking. While highlighting his country’s contribution of $4 million in aid since 2017, he stressed that “humanitarian aid is critical, but it is not a lasting solution.” Rather, he said, “our collective goal must be the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of the Rohingyas.”
Describing the meeting as “long overdue”, Malaysia’s delegate urged greater support for low- and middle-income countries that host 73 per cent of the world’s refugees, based on the principle of burden-sharing. Attempts to erase the Rohingya’s identity and heritage violate international human rights law and must be rejected, he said, urging a sustainable solution that ensures safe and dignified return.
Caution against Politicizing Human Rights Issues
Taking a different view, China’s delegate emphasized that “for repatriation to truly work”, dialogue between Myanmar and Bangladesh is essential, cautioning against “the politicization of human rights issues” and underscoring the need to respect national sovereignty. The Russian Federation’s representative likewise rejected Western pressure, warned against exploiting the crisis for geopolitical purposes and, instead, underscored the need to create favourable conditions for the implementation of bilateral repatriation agreements.
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