Dhaka: The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has underscored UNHCR's unwavering commitment to supporting more than 1 million Rohingyas hosted in Bangladesh as he concluded a four-day visit to the country on Sunday.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Grandi highlighted Bangladesh's extraordinary role as a host since the onset of the crisis, with local communities sharing their limited resources with refugees. He emphasized that a dignified, voluntary, safe, and sustainable return to Myanmar remains the primary solution to this crisis. Grandi called for efforts to create conditions for the return of refugees to their areas of origin and the peaceful coexistence of communities living there.
During his visit to the Kutupalong Rohingya camps near Cox's Bazar, Grandi urged the international community to provide sustained financial support for the displaced people. He noted that mobilizing resources is both challenging and a priority in the absence of a solution for the Rohingya refugees.
Grandi stressed the importance of not forgetting the Rohingyas, warning that a dramatic decrease in international support could severely impact the work done by the Bangladesh government, aid agencies, and the Rohingyas themselves, putting thousands at risk of hunger, disease, and insecurity. In Cox's Bazar, he spoke with Rohingyas who had recently arrived in the camps after fleeing ongoing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State.
The High Commissioner also engaged with community-based groups, including imams, female religious teachers, and a group of mothers concerned about the violence in the camps. He emphasized the necessity of supporting Bangladesh's efforts to maintain security in the camps and continuing programs for the most vulnerable, particularly women who have survived violence, while helping young people gain skills and resilience.
This is Grandi's sixth visit to Bangladesh and comes as UNHCR, together with the Government of Bangladesh and other humanitarian partners, prepares to launch the 2025 Joint Response Plan, detailing the humanitarian needs of Rohingyas and their host communities. Despite previous response plans being insufficiently funded, Grandi noted the life-saving role of humanitarian aid in the Cox's Bazar camps.