Uncertain Outcomes at UNGA: Global Support for 

Rohingya Crisis in Question After UN Meeting 

Anwar Shahadat: 

New York, October 3, 2025

The final outcome of the high-level meeting held at the United Nations General Assembly remains unclear. While the primary objective was to garner renewed global attention and support for the Rohingya refugee crisis, concrete commitments may take additional time to materialize.

One of the key goals of the session was to revive international support—support that has noticeably declined in recent years—and establish a sustainable framework of assistance for the displaced Rohingya community. However, any assurance of long-term support will inevitably require time, coordination, and political will.

What is clear, however, is the unified concern expressed by all speakers—from representatives of the Rohingya community to top UN officials. The prevailing sentiment was that “the situation on the ground is dire.”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in remarks delivered on his behalf by Chef de Cabinet Courtenay Rattray, emphasized the urgency of the crisis. “Conditions in Myanmar’s Rakhine State impede the possibility of [Rohingya refugees’] safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable return,” he stated, calling the ongoing refugee situation a “deepening tragedy.” 

Echoing this concern, Bangladesh’s Interim Government Chief Adviser Dr. Mohammad Yunus issued a stark warning: without immediate global action, the consequences could be catastrophic. “Bangladesh is at the frontline of this crisis and cannot manage it alone,” he said, urging the international community to create the conditions necessary for the safe repatriation of refugees.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International cautioned against any premature attempts to repatriate Rohingya refugees, citing a deteriorating situation in Myanmar. “Attempting to speed up repatriations in such circumstances could have dire unintended consequences,” the organization said in a statement. “Rakhine State is simply not ready.”

The UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar, Julie Bishop, reinforced this message during her address. “The worsening conflict poses a seemingly insurmountable barrier to their return,” she told a conference attended by UN member states, agencies, civil society organizations, and regional stakeholders. She added that more than four years after the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, there remains “no agreed ceasefire, no agreed pathway to peace, and no agreed political solution.”

As the international community continues to deliberate, the urgency of the Rohingya crisis remains undeniable. For the nearly one million refugees still living in limbo, time is a luxury they cannot afford.