Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Tuesday urged the international community to sharply increase support for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, warning that dwindling global funding is straining the humanitarian operation.
Speaking after a meeting with UNHCR Country Representative Ivo Freijsen at the Secretariat, the minister voiced concern over a deep drop in international contributions.
Bangladesh — one of the world’s most densely populated countries — had sheltered a vast Rohingya population on humanitarian grounds, he said, yet financial assistance was contracting, with funding from key donors including the United States reportedly curtailed.
“The time has come for the international community to enhance its support to ensure basic needs and improved living conditions for the Rohingya population,” he said.
The minister stressed that only safe, dignified and voluntary repatriation to Myanmar offered a durable solution, and he pressed global actors to intensify diplomatic efforts towards that end.
Ahmed cautioned that ongoing crises such as the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, and escalating Middle Eastern tensions, should not be allowed to eclipse the Rohingya issue. He called on the United Nations and relevant agencies to keep the crisis firmly on the global agenda.
The discussions also covered conditions in the Rohingya camps, where overcrowding and scarce resources continue to pose severe challenges.