Bangladesh's humanitarian generosity must not become an excuse for international inaction: Shama Obaed
“We must not allow 10 years to become 20,” she added.
Urging the international community to shoulder the Rohingya responsibility together, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam today (23 August) said Bangladesh's humanitarian generosity must not become an excuse for international inaction.
"Bangladesh can provide shelter. Bangladesh can provide humanitarian assistance. Bangladesh can help preserve dignity, but Bangladesh cannot resolve the crisis that Bangladesh did not create," she said.
The State Minister made the remarks while addressing a dialogue titled "Rohingya Crisis Entering 10 Years: From Humanitarian Response to Sustainable Solutions", as the chief guest jointly organised by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) and Oxfam in Bangladesh.
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She said resolving the protracted Rohingya crisis is a political and moral responsibility that the international community must collectively shoulder, stressing that Bangladesh cannot be left alone to bear the burden.
"Bangladesh will continue to stand with them, but Bangladesh should not have to stand alone," she said.
"That is not merely a humanitarian imperative. It is a political responsibility. It is a moral responsibility, and it is a responsibility that the international community must shoulder together," Shama said.
Calling the approaching decade of the Rohingya crisis a moment for "reflection", "reckoning" and, most importantly, "renewed action", Shama warned against allowing another decade to pass without a sustainable solution.
"For a government, it is a policy cycle. For an institution, it is a planning horizon. But for a child growing up in a refugee camp, 10 years is a childhood. For a young person, it is an education lost. For a family, it is a decade without a home, and for an entire community, it is a generation living in uncertainty," she said.
"We must not allow 10 years to become 20," she added.
Since the massive influx in 2017, Shama said, Bangladesh has kept its borders and hearts open and is now sheltering more than 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas despite its own development challenges, limited land and high population density.
She said hosting such a large displaced population has put enormous pressure on Bangladesh's infrastructure, environment, public services and host communities, but the country continued to provide food, shelter, healthcare, education and protection as a humanitarian and moral responsibility.
Referring to declining international funding, the State Minister said humanitarian needs remained immense despite reductions in the 2026 Joint Response Plan.
Food, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), education and protection are "not luxuries" but lifelines, she said, warning that any major funding gap would have consequences for the Rohingyas, host communities, camp stability and ultimately regional stability.
"We therefore urge our international partners: do not let humanitarian fatigue become humanitarian abandonment," she said.
Shama also highlighted the extraordinary burden shouldered by the people of Cox's Bazar, saying their livelihoods, environment and public services have come under severe pressure over the years.
Support for host communities, she said, must therefore be treated as an essential component of the humanitarian response rather than an optional addition.
Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, European Union Ambassador and Head of Delegation to Bangladesh Michael Miller, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Chinese Deputy Chief of Mission Liu Yuyin, IOM Bangladesh Chief of Mission Dr Laura Tomm-Bonde, Centre for Alternatives Executive Director Professor Imtiaz Ahmed and Cox's Bazar Civil Society President Abu Murshed Chowdhury, among others, addressed the dialogue.
Earlier, DCAB President AKM Moinuddin and Oxfam in Bangladesh Interim Country Director Anil Pant delivered opening remarks while DCAB General Secretary General Emrul Kayesh delivered the closing remarks.
While appreciating contributions from the European Union and other international partners, the State Minister said humanitarian assistance alone could never provide a lasting solution.
"The crisis originated in Myanmar. Its sustainable solution must ultimately be found in Myanmar," she said.
Shama reiterated that the ultimate objective remains the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of the Rohingyas to their homeland in Rakhine State.
"This is not simply a policy preference. It is the only sustainable way forward," she said, adding that Rohingyas themselves have repeatedly expressed their desire to return home.
"A camp should never become a permanent substitute for a homeland," she said.
The State Minister also called for expediting the verification process on the basis of agreed bilateral instruments, taking into account children born in the camps as well as Rohingyas who arrived from Rakhine after 2017.
Accurate data and a credible verification process are essential and could serve as an important confidence-building measure between Bangladesh and Myanmar, she said.
Shama said Bangladesh would continue constructive engagement through bilateral channels, the United Nations, regional mechanisms and international partners to facilitate repatriation.
Referring to China's role, she expressed hope that commitments made by the Chinese leadership during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit would be reflected through concrete actions.
"Responsibility sharing must mean more than expressions of sympathy, more than statements of solidarity. It must translate into action, predictable financing, sustained diplomacy, political engagement and accountability, and ultimately into a durable solution," she said.
The State Minister said Bangladesh had responded to a humanitarian emergency nearly a decade ago, but the situation had now evolved into a "protracted political crisis".
She expressed confidence that the present government would be able to pursue repatriation successfully, recalling Bangladesh's previous experiences of Rohingya repatriation in 1978 and 1992.
Addressing journalists, Shama said the media have an important role in ensuring that the Rohingya crisis does not disappear from the international agenda.
"You are not merely reporting the crisis. You are helping shape how the world understands it," she said, adding that responsible journalism, evidence and facts matter.
She called for a transition "from relief to resilience, from solidarity to responsibility sharing, from humanitarian management to political action, and ultimately from displacement to dignified return".
"The Rohingya people deserve more than survival. They deserve a future, they deserve a home, they deserve safety, they deserve dignity, and they deserve the right to return to their homeland in peace," she said.
The programme also featured presentations on a decade of the Rohingya crisis and WASH systems, risk and resilience in the Rohingya response, a documentary screening, a book launch and a technical panel discussion.
