The Rohingya Crisis: A Renewed Call for a Durable Solution from Protracted Displacement, with Justice and Accountability

Concept Note

High-level Side Event on

‘The Rohingya Crisis: A Renewed Call for a Durable Solution from Protracted Displacement, with Justice and Accountability’

81^st Session of United Nations General Assembly 

Date: 23 September 2026, Time: 11:15-13:00, Location: Conference Room 11 (UNHQ)

1. Backdrop and Objective

Since the forced mass displacement of the Rohingyas from the Rakhine State of Myanmar in August 2017, the Rohingya crisis has remained one of the most protracted and complex humanitarian challenges confronting the international community. In the aftermath of the exodus, Bangladesh has temporarily provided shelter to more than 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar on humanitarian grounds. Unfortunately, Bangladesh continues to witness fresh arrivals from Myanmar on a regular basis. On the other hand, approximately 32,000 Rohingya children are born each year in the camps in Cox’s Bazar and Bhashan Char, further underscoring the protracted nature of this crisis.

            While the Rohingyas continue to face profound uncertainty, their prolonged stay has placed an onerous burden on Bangladesh. This responsibility has placed additional pressure on Bangladesh whose own people face lack of opportunities due to resource constraints. The crisis has affected local livelihoods, strained natural resources and public services, and heightened security concerns as well as transnational crimes, with broader implications for regional stability.

Successive funding shortfalls and declining international attention have severely constrained humanitarian operations, affecting food assistance, healthcare, education, and other lifesaving services for the temporarily sheltered Rohingyas in Bangladesh. The funding mechanism ‘Joint Response Plan’ has continued to face significant funding gaps, limiting the capacity to deliver essential services and maintain critical assistance. Such a widening gap between humanitarian needs and available resources has further deepened vulnerabilities among the Rohingyas while increasing pressure on host communities in Bangladesh.

The persecution of the Rohingyas is beyond description. Alongside brutal campaigns of violence, including mass killings, rape, and the burning of more than 300 Rohingya villages in 2017, the Myanmar Armed Forces carried out a campaign of genocide aimed at systematically erasing the Rohingya population. Mr. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the then United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, described the situation as “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing” in his statement during the 36^th Session of the Human Rights Council. 

The atrocious crimes committed against the Rohingyas are being examined by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and other international judicial mechanisms. The ongoing proceedings before the ICJ concerning the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (The Gambia v. Myanmar) continue to underscore the importance of accountability under international law. The proceedings, instituted by The Gambia in November 2019 on behalf of the Member States of the OIC, have now reached an advanced stage, with oral hearings completed in January 2026. The judgment is expected before the end of the year. The forthcoming judgment will therefore be significant not only for strengthening international commitment to prevent atrocity crimes, but also for shaping the next phase of the Rohingya's fight for justice, solidifying the international response to Myanmar's on-going crisis, and reaffirming the standing of the Genocide Convention itself. It is therefore noteworthy that its very outcome carries significant different legal, diplomatic and operational consequences for one of the most heinous crimes in recent years with a profound implication on the Rohingya's commitment to fight for justice and combat impunity.

The Gambia has also sought remedies on the rights and needs of Rohingya victims, including safe and dignified return, restoration of property and communal sites, family reunification, rehabilitation, compensation, citizenship-related guarantees of non-repetition, and consequences for breaches of provisional measures. Against this backdrop, the conclusion of the proceedings presents an important opportunity for the international community to sustain collective support for accountability and to translate the forthcoming judgment into meaningful action for justice and a durable solution to the Rohingya crisis. 

The visit of the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, to the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar in 2025 served as a timely reminder that the Rohingya crisis must not become a forgotten emergency. During his visit, he underscored the need to create conditions conducive to the return of the Rohingyas to Myanmar, while warning that declining humanitarian financing would have devastating consequences for both the Rohingyas and the host communities. 

Recognizing the urgency of the crisis, the United Nations General Assembly convened the High-level Conference on the Situation of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar on 30 September 2025 pursuant to resolution A/RES/79/278. The Conference reaffirmed the need to sustain international attention, address the root causes of the crisis, strengthen humanitarian assistance, promote accountability, restore the rights of the Rohingyas and reinforce international cooperation, including equitable burden- and responsibility-sharing. Subsequently, the General Assembly in its resolution A/RES/80/221 welcomed the outcome of the Conference and encouraged Member States and all relevant stakeholders to support follow-up efforts, including through the convening of periodic dialogues towards a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis. These were preceded by a Stakeholders’ Dialogue held in Cox’s Bazar on 24-25 August 2025 on the occasion of the 8^th Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day, where the Rohingyas made an emphatic appeal to facilitate their return to Myanmar. This message was carried forward at the aforesaid High-level Conference in New York. 

The crisis originated in Myanmar, and its solution lies there. Against this backdrop, the High-Level Side Event will provide a platform for Member States, the United Nations, regional and international organizations, humanitarian partners, and other stakeholders to reaffirm their collective commitment to addressing the Rohingya crisis. Under the theme “The Rohingya Crisis: A Renewed Call for a Durable Solution from Protracted Displacement, with Justice and Accountability,” this year’s Side Event will seek to sustain international attention, mobilize renewed political and humanitarian support, strengthen accountability efforts, and reinforce global solidarity with Bangladesh in facilitating the return of the Rohingyas to Myanmar. The event will also underscore the shared responsibility of the international community to support the Rohingyas until their return to Myanmar.

2. Guiding Questions for Discussion

• How can the international community sustain political attention and reinforce collective commitment to addressing the Rohingya crisis?

• How can the international community ensure adequate, predictable and sustained humanitarian support for lifesaving programmes for the Rohingyas?

• What steps are required to strengthen justice, accountability and international efforts to address the crimes committed against the Rohingyas, including sustained international support for the ICJ proceedings and appropriate follow-up to its forthcoming judgment?

• What measures are needed to create a conducive environment for the safe, voluntary, and dignified and return of the Rohingyas to their ancestral land in Myanmar?

Tentative Programme

Moderator: H.E. Ms. Irene Zubaida Khan, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh 

1115-1145 hrs: Moderator’s introduction and Opening Remarks

• Immersive Visual Chronicle

• H.E. Mr. Tarique Rahman, Prime Minister of Bangladesh 
• H.E. Muhammad B. S. Jallow, Vice President, The Gambia 

• H.E. Dr. Khalilur Rahman, President of the General Assembly

• Ms. Julie Bishop, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General on Myanmar.

1145-11:52 hrs: Keynote Address 

• Mr. Barham Salih, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 

11:52-11:55 hrs: Rohingya Voices (Audio-Visual)

1155-1240 hrs: Statements by Ministerial/High Level Representatives of Co-Sponsors/Other Member States:

• H.E. Hadja Lahbib, EU Commissioner, Equality; Preparedness and Crisis Management

• H.E. Chris Elmore MP, Minister for the Americas, Multilateral and Human Rights, the UK

• H.E. A. Berris Ekinci, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Türkiye

• H.E. Allison Hooker, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Department of State, the United States of America

• High-Level Representative from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 

• High-Level Representative from Malaysia

• High-Level Representative from the UK

• H.E. Vijavat Isarabhakdi, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Thailand (tbc) 

• Minister level participation from any other Member States

• Ms. Claudia Fuentes Julio, ASG, OHCHR

• Head/Deputy Head of UN agencies (IOM, UNDP)

1240-1255 hrs: Interventions from the floor 

1255 hrs: Wrap up by the Moderator