The United Nations in its upcoming 79th session, will hold a high-level conference on the “Situation of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar” on 30 September at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

In August 2017, over 750,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh following a violent military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. They joined previous influxes of Rohingya who fled the country in the 1970s and 90s. Today, more than one million Rohingya refugees live in Bangladesh, mostly in Cox’s Bazar region, near the border with Myanmar.

Over one million Rohingya refugees now live in Bangladesh, mostly in Cox’s Bazar, after fleeing violence in Myanmar.

The UN Assembly also adopted, by a recorded vote of 141 in favour to 0 against, with 10 abstentions, a resolution on “Scope, modalities, format and organisation of the high-level conference on Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar”. The conference resolution has garnered significant international support, with 106 countries co-sponsoring it.

The UN has detailed the organisational arrangements of the Conference, including the opening segment, which will feature statements by the President of the Assembly, the Secretary-General, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other relevant stakeholder representatives.

The conference is convened by the President of the UN General Assembly, in accordance with the resolution A/RES/79/278. The conference aims to review the Rohingya crisis and propose a plan for its sustainable resolution, including the voluntary, safe, and dignified return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.

The Myanmar delegate to the UN said the Rohingya issue must be comprehensively addressed. “The world has witnessed the crimes and atrocities the [Myanmar] military junta has committed,” both on the Rohingya population and other minorities.

Repatriation of the refugees will not be possible “if we are unable to put an end to the military junta committing indiscriminate airstrikes and aerial bombings”, the delegate remarked.

Bangladesh’s delegate said that his country would like the Rohingyas to return to their own country. The problem originated in Myanmar, and the solution lies there as well, he said, calling for a time-bound plan for the repatriation of the one million refugees languishing in Cox’s Bazar since 2017.

The high-level conference aims to secure a safe, dignified, and voluntary return of Rohingyas to their homeland.

The delegate from Belarus, however, criticised the initial resolution for being drafted behind closed doors, with only two rounds of “clearly insufficient” open consultations. The document is another attempt to establish a tribunal against Myanmar, he said.

China’s representative, who abstained from voting on the initial text, also expressed concerns about the draft text’s excessive focus on human rights in Myanmar. The focus of the conference will be to review the overall crisis and develop a comprehensive, innovative, concrete, and time-bound plan for a sustainable resolution.

The conference participants will include various stakeholders, including the UN, member states, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations, and academic institutions. Among the stakeholders, several Rohingya refugees will be provided with a UN Travel Document to obtain a United States visa to travel to New York.

The UN will provide airfare, accommodation, and a per diem to the members of the delegation, which will include Rohingya representatives, NGOs, research organisations, and the Bangladesh government delegation.

Government officials and UN agencies in Cox’s Bazar, engaged in the Rohingya camps, are working on the number of refugees who would be travelling to New York. The selection is being made on the basis of their credibility among the refugee community and their ability to articulate their statement at the conference.

Repatriation will remain impossible without halting the military junta’s indiscriminate airstrikes and bombings.

Knowledge of English is not mandatory, but it would be a first preference for their selection. Among the selected Rohingya delegation, the agencies are curious to know whether they have blood relatives or friends in exile in the United States and Canada, so that they do not decide to seek asylum in North America, once they reach New York.

Security agencies in Cox’s Bazar are actively probing into the background checks of those who were primarily selected. The agencies will provide clearance to those selected. Well, the conference will address the protection and well-being of Rohingya refugees and host communities, life-saving assistance, and the conditions necessary for voluntary, safe, and sustainable return and reintegration.

Meanwhile, the UN and its partners are also implementing a Joint Response Plan (JRP) for 2025-26, requesting $934.5 million to support Rohingya refugees and host communities. The UN is also involved in various initiatives to address the Rohingya crisis, including providing humanitarian assistance, addressing sexual and reproductive health needs, and advocating for the rights of Rohingya refugees.

The conference was called after the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres had visited Bangladesh last March, coinciding with the holy month of Ramadan. He, along with Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of the Interim Government, had Iftar with the Rohingya refugees. The refugees as spoken loudly that they wish to return to their homeland in Rakhine State.

The UN has given high priority to the Rohingya humanitarian crisis and seeks international coordination to resolve it.

Official sources said the UN has given high priority to the Rohingya humanitarian crisis and wants to draw international awareness to jointly make efforts to resolve the crisis. Guterres expressed solidarity with the Rohingya refugees who have found shelter in the country. After he returned to New York, the international food aid supply for the refugees increased, and many donor countries resumed aid budgets for the refugees.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.