At the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman urged the international community to move from empathy to action on two of the world’s most pressing challenges of the protracted Rohingya crisis and the escalating climate emergency.
Speaking at a high-level side event co-hosted by Bangladesh and The Gambia, the Prime Minister presented a five-point proposal to resolve the Rohingya crisis. Emphasizing that Bangladesh which currently hosts over 1.2 million displaced Rohingyas cannot carry this burden indefinitely also he called on global stakeholders to shift focus from merely managing displacement to ending it permanently.
The Prime Minister’s 5-Point Plan for the Rohingya Crisis:
1. Credible Roadmap: Establish a clear, voluntary and dignified repatriation timeline back to Myanmar.
2. Protection & Rights: End violence against civilians in Rakhine State and guarantee fundamental safety.
3. Predictable Aid: Ensure adequate, sustained humanitarian support for both refugees and host communities.
4. Justice & Accountability: Support international legal mechanisms (including the ICJ and ICC) to hold perpetrators of atrocities accountable.
5. Transnational Crime Control: Strengthen regional cooperation to dismantle drug networks, human trafficking and illicit arms trade linked to camp instability.
"The crisis originated in Myanmar and its solution lies in Myanmar" Tarique Rahman stated also noting that rising security threats and declining international aid make swift repatriation essential for regional stability.
Later at the UN Trusteeship Council Chamber with addressing the high-level meeting on Climate Action and the Just Transition, Prime Minister Rahman highlighted Bangladesh’s severe climate exposure. Despite contributing less than 0.5% to global greenhouse gas emissions, Bangladesh faces severe economic disruptions with sea-level rise threatening to submerge 12 to 18 percent of its coastal land by the end of the century.
The 5 Climate Action Priorities Outlined:
Enforce global emission cuts to keep warming within the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target.
Deliver predictable and direct adaptation finance to vulnerable nations.
Expand access to climate-smart technologies.
Scale up renewable energy infrastructure via direct funding and tech transfers.
Fully fund and regularly replenish the UN Loss and Damage Fund.
Outlining domestic efforts, he shared that Bangladesh has allocated $3.19 billion for adaptation in its current budget, launched a project to plant 250 million trees over five years and initiated extensive canal and river dredging alongside the Padma and Teesta barrage master plans to preserve groundwater. Bangladesh also aims to meet 20% of its electricity demand through renewable sources by 2030.
Concluding his addresses Prime Minister reaffirmed that neither regional security nor climate resilience can be achieved in isolation also calling for binding international conviction to secure a equitable future.
