United News of Bangladesh

The Government of Australia and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Monday announced a contribution of AUD 25.25 million to sustain life-saving assistance and protection for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. This flexible, multi-year funding, part of Australia's 2026-28 humanitarian assistance package, will help ensure the continuation of essential services for one of the world's most vulnerable refugee populations and their host communities, according to a media statement. Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman and Australia's Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs, and Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill were present during the announcement. It will enable UNHCR and partners to maintain key services across the camps, including protection activities, skills development programmes, and disaster risk reduction measures for refugees living in highly fragile and disaster-prone environments, said the statement. “Australia continues to respond to the most significant humanitarian crises in our region, making our region safer, more stable and resilient” said  Assistant Minister Julian Hill. “Australia remains committed to supporting the humanitarian needs of Rohingya in Myanmar and Bangladesh. Displaced Rohingya want to return home, but the conditions in Myanmar need to be in place for their voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return. These can only be met by addressing the root cause of the crisis in Myanmar.” “Nearly nine years on, the Rohingya crisis risks fading from global attention as new emergencies emerge elsewhere,” said Juliette Murekeyisoni, UNHCR Representative in Bangladesh. “Australia’s continued support sends a strong message that the Rohingya people have not been forgotten. Every refugee I speak to expresses the hope to return home safely, with their rights and dignity restored. Until conditions in Myanmar allow for voluntary, safe, and dignified return with full citizenship, the international community must remain steadfast in its support.” “Australia remains committed to supporting Rohingya and their host communities in Bangladesh,” said H.E Susan Ryle, Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh. “This latest contribution of AUD25.25 million to UNHCR will help to provide critical services to the most vulnerable, including for women, girls and people living with a disability”. Since widespread violence and persecutions forced hundreds of thousands of refugees to seek safety in Bangladesh in 2017, around 1.2 million Rohingya refugees remain displaced there, most in overcrowded refugee camps near Cox’s Bazar. The majority rely almost entirely on humanitarian assistance to meet their daily needs. Persistent funding gaps have deepened vulnerabilities, sometimes pushing people toward harmful coping mechanisms, including undertaking dangerous sea journeys in search of better opportunities in the region. According to recent reports, nearly 900 Rohingya refugees went missing or died in 2025 while attempting perilous crossings in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal. Australia’s ongoing assistance to Rohingya and host communities will help promote safer and sustainable coping mechanisms by supporting access to protection and essential services. Funding shortages continue to disproportionately impact the most vulnerable, including women and girls, persons with disabilities, and older people. Since 2024, an estimated 150,000 new arrivals have joined the camps, many still lacking adequate shelter and access to basic services such as clean cooking fuel. After years of displacement, most Rohingya refugees remain almost entirely dependent on external assistance. While meeting immediate needs is essential, expanding access to education and skills development is equally crucial for building resilience and preparing refugees for a future beyond displacement.

UN experts on Wednesday called for urgent action to support the humanitarian response to the hosting of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, recognising the shared responsibility of the international community. “Statelessness affecting Rohingya refugees and the protracted situation of displacement contributes to serious risks of human trafficking with devastating consequences for victims,” said the experts who are in contact with the government of Bangladesh. They are Siobhan Mullally, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; Gehad Madi,  Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants; Claudia Flores (Chair), Ivana Krstic (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada-Tanck, Haina Lu, and Laura Nyirinkindi, Working Group on discrimination against women and girls. Recent reports indicate that two boats carrying more than 500 people may have capsized off the coast of Myanmar in recent days, following departure from Myanmar’s Rakhine State in late June. The boats were carrying mostly Rohingya passengers, reportedly including some who had travelled from refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. In 2025, more than 6,500 Rohingya refugees embarked on perilous maritime journeys, with an estimated 900 people losing their lives. An estimated 66 per cent of those embarking on those journeys are women and children. One in seven were reported missing or dead in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal - the highest mortality rate worldwide of any route for refugee and migrant sea journeys. Bangladesh hosts nearly 1.2 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. Limited access to safe and regular migration pathways, restricted access to formal education, and restrictions on employment, and livelihood opportunities are contributing to increased risks of trafficking in persons, particularly among children and young people. Refugee women and girls living in camps face heightened risks of trafficking and gender-based violence, with approximately one in four women and girls having experienced such violence. The experts stressed that the lack of opportunities is exploited by trafficking networks, including armed groups and criminal networks who target Rohingya children and young people, with deceptive offers of employment, education or marriage, and for recruitment and use. Reports indicate that Rohingya refugees rescued on the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, including children, may be detained for several days at police stations without adequate access to legal assistance, psychosocial support or medical care, despite having experienced severe trauma, including the death or disappearance of family members, according to a message UNB received from Geneva. “Humanitarian organisations provide assistance to persons rescued at sea but are reliant on timely referrals by law enforcement agencies, and are facing reduced capacity due to severe funding cuts,” the experts said. They called for effective measures to prevent human trafficking and ensure human rights-based, gender sensitive, and survivor-centred responses to trafficking in persons, including ending statelessness and ensuring access to employment, education, health care, freedom of movement and comprehensive protection services.

The government of Australia has committed AUD16 million (Tk137 crore) in multi-year funding to UNICEF to sustain life-saving support for Rohingya children and host communities in Bangladesh. Australian High Commissioner in Dhaka Susan Ryle and UNICEF Bangladesh Representative Rana Flowers signed an agreement in this regard at the Ministry of Home Affairs in the presence of Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Wednesday. Australia’s contribution to the crises uniquely provides flexible, predictable funding that is critical in the current humanitarian context, according to a statement. This flexible funding will enable UNICEF to allocate resources where and when needed most, adapt quickly to emerging challenges, and sustain essential services for children living in complex and evolving conditions, it said. The new agreement is part of Australia’s 2026-2028 AUD370 million (Tk 3,162 crore) humanitarian package to Myanmar and Rohingya and host communities in Bangladesh. Since 2017, Australia has committed AUD1.26 billion (Tk 10,770 crore) in humanitarian assistance to the regional crisis. Australia remains steadfast in supporting the government of Bangladesh to provide humanitarian assistance for displaced Rohingyas in Bangladesh and their host communities. Through the humanitarian partnerships, Rohingyas can access essential support until conditions are in place for a voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return to Myanmar, the statement added.

The United Kingdom (UK) on Saturday said they will continue to support collective efforts to find durable solutions for Rohinyga refugees, alongside assisting host communities with essential services and livelihood opportunities, in partnership with the government of Bangladesh. “While safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable returns remain the ambition, the UK will also help ensure Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh can live safely and with dignity, while building self-reliance through meaningful livelihoods,” said the British High Commission Dhaka in a statement marking the World Refugee Day. The British High Commission said they stand in solidarity with the 1.2 million Rohingya who fled from their homes in Myanmar and sought refuge in Bangladesh. The UK is a leading donor to the Rohingya response, providing over £452 million to support the Rohingya and host communities since 2017. The UK continues to provide life-saving assistance and shine an international spotlight on the crisis, to ensure that it is not forgotten amid emerging new crises.The country thanked the government and people of Bangladesh for continuing to host the Rohingya in their time of need.“We continue to honour the incredible resilience of the Rohingya people in adversity,” said the British High Commission. This year’s observation of World Refugee Day also marks the 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention. The 1951 treaty, adopted in the aftermath of the Second World War, enshrined that anyone forced to flee war, conflict, or persecution has the right to seek safety and protection. UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a message calling for stronger support for people forced to flee and the communities that have welcomed them. “As divisions deepen across our world, new and protracted conflicts are compelling millions of women, children and men to seek safety far from home,” he said. He stressed that “these turbulent times” call for renewed solidarity and robust action to protect refugees. 

Acting Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) Carl Skau has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to mobilising food assistance for 1.3 million Rohingya refugees sheltered in Bangladesh, stressing that the crisis remains one of the top priorities for the Rome-based UN agency. The acting WFP chief made the comments when he called on Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday at a hotel in the Italian capital. The meeting focused primarily on the ongoing Rohingya crisis, famine situations in Gaza and Sudan and the growing challenges in mobilizing funds to combat global hunger affecting tens of millions, said Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder. Skau praised Prof Yunus for his leadership over the past 15 months, particularly his unwavering efforts to bring international attention back to the Rohingya humanitarian crisis. Both leaders emphasised the urgent need for increased funding to support the Rohingya refugees residing in camps in Bangladesh. FAO DG assures support for Bangladesh’s deep-sea fishing, fruit exports Skau commended the September 30 high-level UN meeting on the Rohingya issue—convened at Professor Yunus’s request—stating that it had successfully “brought international attention back to the crisis.”

The United States and the United Kingdom announced fresh aid commitment of 96 million dollars in the first ever high-level conference on the Rohingya and other Myanmar minorities at the UN headquarters on Tuesday, said Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam. The US announced a new donation of 60 million dollars and the UK 36 million dollars, he told UNB. “Houses burned. Neighbours killed. Hope vanishing.” With those stark words, General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock opened the high-level UN conference, as alarm rises over the impact of Myanmar’s deepening crisis which threatens to destabilise the wider region. Assembly President Baerbock underscored the scale of suffering. “Over five million Rohingya men, women and children share some version of this story,” she said, noting that 800,000 children remain out of school in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar camp alone. Humanitarian funding is critically short, with the 2025 response plan just 12 per cent funded. “This should put us to shame,” she declared, urging states to boost aid and pursue a political solution that would enable safe, voluntary and sustainable return. At the heart of the emergency are the Rohingya Muslims, denied Burmese citizenship, driven from their homes and forced into camps or exile, according to the UN news. More than a million now live as refugees in Bangladesh, while countless more remain displaced or trapped – alongside other minorities – inside Myanmar under conditions UN leaders described as “dire” and “unsustainable.” The conference at UN Headquarters in New York, brought together top UN officials, heads of state and governments, to galvanise action alongside Rohingya activists. Briefings and reports laid bare the daily realities since the February 2021 military coup: forced recruitment, sexual violence, airstrikes, starvation and mass displacement. Devise roadmap for Rohingya repatriation, act together to stabilise Rakhine: Prof Yunus Humanitarian agencies warn that resources are running out, leaving refugees malnourished and pushing more people into taking dangerous sea journeys. Conditions inside Myanmar’s Rakhine state – ancestral home of the Rohingya – are described as the worst in decades, with civilians caught between junta forces and ethnic armed groups. ‘Human Rights Trampled’ The Secretary-General, in a statement read by his Chef de Cabinet Courtenay Rattray, said the crisis has “trampled on the human rights, dignity and safety of millions and threatens regional stability.” He urged three immediate steps: protecting civilians in line with international law, guaranteeing humanitarian access, and reinvigorating investment to ease the strain on refugees and host communities. “The solution to this crisis lies ultimately in Myanmar,” the message stressed, calling for an end to persecution and recognition that “the Rohingya belong – as full citizens.” Humanitarian funding is critically short, with the 2025 response plan just 12 per cent funded. “This should put us to shame,” she declared, urging states to boost aid and pursue a political solution that would enable safe, voluntary and sustainable return. Demand for Accountability For Rohingya activists, the conference was not another moment of awareness but a demand for justice. Wai Wai Nu, founder of the Myanmar Women’s Peace Network, told delegates that the atrocities did not end in 2017, when over 750,000 Rohingya men, women and children fled violence described as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” by then UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein. Rohingya Conference: Prospects for funding JRP next year grim, says Filippo Grandi “It has worsened,” she said, pointing to killings, forced conscription, sexual violence and starvation inflicted by both the Myanmar military and ethnic armed groups fighting the junta. “Without action, the Rohingya exodus will continue until there is no more Rohingya left in Myanmar,” she warned, urging cross-border humanitarian corridors, targeted sanctions and prosecutions for atrocity crimes. ‘A test for humanity’ Rofik Husson, founder of the Arakan Youth Peace Network, offered his own testimony of displacement and violence, recalling how the junta forced Rohingya men and boys into service, often as human shields. In one week alone, he said, at least 400 were killed. He described village burnings and drone strikes, including a May 2024 massacre that displaced 200,000 people in a single day. “Ending the crisis of insecurity for the Rohingya community is a test for this Assembly and a test for humanity itself,” he told delegates, calling for an internationally supervised safe zone in northern Rakhine. No Agreed Pathway to Peace Adding a wider lens, Special Envoy Julie Bishop stressed that Myanmar’s multifaceted crisis is inseparable from the political turmoil unleashed by the 2021 coup. With no ceasefire in place and armed conflict spreading, she warned that planned elections later this year would fuel further violence rather than deliver legitimacy. “There is no agreed pathway to peace,” she said, cautioning that international condemnation of the junta has ebbed even as abuses persist. A Fragile Hope Despite the grim accounts, speakers emphasised that solutions remain possible if political will can be summoned. US pledges support for Myanmar, Rohingya Baerbock closed her remarks by noting, “The Rohingya people have survived eight years of hardship, displacement and uncertainty. Their resilience is extraordinary. Our response must match it.” For Rohingya activists, the message was equally clear: declarations are no longer enough. “Justice is not optional…It is the only deterrent, the only path to peace,” Nu said.

International migration isn't just a global statistic; it's the raw pulse of human stories, sparked by fragile dreams of safety, prosperity, or family reunions, yet so often crushed under waves of heartbreak and hardship no one deserves. As of mid-2024, the latest UN figures peg the global international migrant stock at 304 million people, about 3.7% of the world's population, each one shouldering a personal saga of bravery, grief, and quiet resilience. These aren't faceless numbers; they're people like Ibtihal from Syria, who fled war in 2013 with her husband and five kids to Jordan, scraping by for over a decade before returning in 2025 to a ruined home that brought tears of joy and sorrow, as she whispered, "Life is truly painful." Or Harjit Singh from India's Punjab, who pawned family land for an $80,000 smuggling trek to the US, enduring jungles and detention only to be deported in debt, confessing, "I am broken inside… I don't see a future." And Maawia Alhassan from Sudan, a once-thriving shop owner who lost everything in 2023's conflict, fleeing alone to Uganda while agonizing over his missing wife and kids, holding on as he says, "The pain is immense, but I haven’t given up." Read more: Challenges mount  for Bangladesh as legal migration to Malaysia remains stalled Top Countries Hosting and Sending International Migrants You know how migration really works? It's not this neat little diagram; it's all over the place, with people heading out for decent work, dodging wars, coping with crazy climate stuff, or just holding onto family connections. The UN's newest numbers, fresh from their 2024 update that dropped in early 2025, have the total international migrants jumping from 275 million in 2020 up to 304 million by mid-2024, mostly because of big displacements and spots crying out for extra hands on deck. Primary Host Nations: Havens Amid Strain Host countries provide refuge and opportunity, but often at a cost to both newcomers and locals. The United States, home to over 52 million migrants, exemplifies this duality. Immigrants fuel innovation and growth, yet many, like undocumented farmworkers, toil in fields under harsh conditions, their contributions vital yet undervalued. Germany, with its welcoming policies, hosts millions fleeing conflict, but integration stories reveal struggles, such as language barriers that leave families feeling adrift. Table: Here are the top 10 host countries, based on UN data for 2024. Rank Country Migrant Stock (millions) 1 United States 52.4 2 Germany 16.8 3 Saudi Arabia 13.7 4 Russia 12.0 5 United Kingdom 9.6 6 United Arab Emirates 8.8 7 France 8.5 8 Canada 8.0 9 Australia 7.7 10 Italy 6.4 . Read more: Essential services for Rohingyas at risk of collapsing; 150,000 more enter Bangladesh in 18 months: UNHCR In Gulf states like the UAE, migrants from South Asia build skyscrapers but often face exploitative labor practices, their passports confiscated, binding them like modern-day indentured servants. Leading Countries of Origin: Roots of Departure Origin countries lose talent and youth, yet gain through remittances that sustain economies. India leads, with 18.5 million emigrants whose journeys are laced with sacrifice, think of Priya, a nurse in the UK, video-calling her children nightly, her heart torn between duty and longing. The top 10 origin countries in 2024: Rank Country Emigrants (millions) 1 India 18.5 2 Mexico 12.0 3 China 11.7 4 Russia  10.5 5 Syria 8.2 6 Philippines 6.5 7 Ukraine 6.0 8 Bangladesh 5.5 9 Pakistan 5.0 10 Afghanistan 4.8 Remittances reached $685 billion to low- and middle-income countries in 2024, often outpacing aid and investment, funding school fees and medical bills that keep families afloat. Read more: Rohingyas are victims of racial discrimination and prolonged statelessness: Prof Yunus

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, on Friday said essential services for the whole Rohingya population are at risk of collapsing due to acute global funding crisis, noting that 150,000 Rohingyas entered Bangladesh over the last 18 months. With the acute global funding crisis, UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch said, the critical needs of both newly-arrived refugees and those already present will be unmet. This movement of Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh, spread over months, is the largest from Myanmar since 2017, when some 750,000 fled the deadly violence in their native Rakhine State. Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.3 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char. The UNHCR and humanitarian partners are mobilizing to respond to the needs of up to 150,000 Rohingya refugees who have arrived in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh over the last 18 months. UNHCR and humanitarian partners also called on the international community to stand in solidarity with Bangladesh and other countries in the region hosting Rohingya refugees. "Until there is peace and stability in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, conducive to safe and voluntary return, the international community must continue to support efforts to provide life-saving assistance to Rohingya forced to flee," said Baloch. Among the new arrivals, nearly 121,000 had been biometrically identified by the end of June, with more believed to be residing informally in the already overcrowded refugee camps. The overwhelming majority are women and children. More humanitarian support is urgently required as the new arrivals are largely dependent on the solidarity of those living in the camps, overstretching severely diminished resources, the UN agency said. Biometric identification has allowed humanitarian partners in Bangladesh to provide the new arrivals with basic services, including food, medical care, education and essential relief items. However, this will soon dry up without an immediate injection of funds. Access to shelter and other key necessities is also insufficient in the face of limited resources. Unless additional funds are secured, health services will be severely disrupted by September and essential cooking fuel (LPG) will run out. BSF pushes 31 people, including 14 Rohingyas into Sylhet "By December, food assistance will stop. Education for some 230,000 children – including 63,000 new arrivals – is at risk of being discontinued," UNHCR Spokesperson said. "Refugees in the camps have already felt the impact of these reductions. They fear more cuts are looming," Baloch mentioned during the media briefing in Geneva. This is fuelling a sense of desperation and anxiety, and driving some to embark on dangerous sea journeys to other countries in search of safety and a more dignified life for their families, the UNHCR thinks. The border between Bangladesh and Myanmar remains "officially closed" and under surveillance by Border Guard Bangladesh. UNHCR and humanitarian partners are "grateful" that the government of Bangladesh has authorized newly-arrived Rohingya refugees to access emergency assistance and key services in the camps in Cox’s Bazar. "As the conflict in Myanmar continues unabated, however, we are advocating with the Bangladeshi authorities to provide managed access to safety and asylum for civilians fleeing the conflict," Baloch said. Over the years, the Spokesperson said, the generous support from Bangladesh and the international community has been critical in meeting Rohingya refugees’ most basic needs and providing protection. Every aspect of the refugee response is affected by the funding scarcity, Baloch said. Targeted violence and persecution in Rakhine State and the ongoing conflict in Myanmar have continued to force thousands of Rohingya to seek protection in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has generously hosted Rohingya refugees for generations.

China and Canada foresee ‘intense collaboration’ with Bangladesh in trade diversification and investment and assured continued support for humanitarian assistance to forcefully displaced Myanmar nationals. This was conveyed by the Foreign Ministers of China and Canada on Thursday during meetings with Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on the sidelines of 32nd ASEAN Regional Forum taking place in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. The Foreign Adviser is leading the Bangladesh delegation to the 32nd ARF Ministerial Meeting that is scheduled to be held on Friday. While having a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, both sides expressed confidence in the future prospects of the bilateral ties. The Chinese Foreign Minister expressed China’s full support to the reform initiatives of the government of Bangladesh and assured China's cooperation in many priority areas, such as, medical tourism and water management, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. China keen to deepen ties with Bangladesh’s next elected govt: Fakhrul Recalling the recent Investment Conference of China in Bangladesh, he expressed China’s interest to work with Bangladesh in the field of textiles, energy, light engineering, among others. The Foreign Adviser acknowledged with deep appreciation the political and development support extended by China to the current Government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus. He reiterated Bangladesh’s call for urgent and immediate solution of the Rohingya crisis and solicited China’s support in this regard. Hossain also urged China to support Bangladesh in regional and multilateral platforms, including in the United Nations. Later in the afternoon, the Foreign Adviser met Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand where both sides discussed possible means to expand bilateral relations, especially in the field of trade, including through trade diversification and resilience building. The Canadian Foreign Minister also expressed Canada’s support in addressing the longstanding Rohingya crisis. China keen to set up industries at Mongla: Press Secretary The Foreign Minister was accompanied by Ambassador Shameem Ahsan, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Malaysia, Md Forhadul Islam, Director General of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other senior officials of Bangladesh.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has called for global action against racial injustice and highlighted the plight of the Rohingya people, who remain victims of racial discrimination and prolonged statelessness. Since 2017, Bangladesh has sheltered over a million forcibly displaced Rohingyas, but their repatriation to Myanmar remains the only sustainable solution to this protracted crisis, he said in a message on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. UNHCR deplores funding cuts in humanitarian sector putting millions at risk The global community must engage actively to ensure their early repatriation to their homeland in Myanmar, Dr Yunus said. On this occasion, Bangladesh reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to combating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance in all its forms. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD). Dhaka calls for stronger global cooperation, investment to advance gender equality "As a state party to ICERD, Bangladesh upholds non-discrimination as a core principle of governance and society," said the Chief Adviser.