daily sun
UNB, Dhaka
Publish: Thursday, 02 October, 2025
The United States and the United Kingdom announced a 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 burnt. 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 and 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.
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.
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.
For Rohingya activists, the conference was not another moment of awareness but a demand for justice.
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