Bangladesh’s interim government chief advisor, Professor Muhammad Yunus, has outlined a comprehensive seven-point proposal aimed at ending Myanmar’s brutal offensives against the Rohingya and ensuring their safe, voluntary, and dignified repatriation.

Speaking at the three-day international conference “Stakeholders’ Dialogue” in Cox’s Bazar on Monday (August 25), Yunus urged the global community to act decisively, warning that history would not forgive further delay.

“With a heavy heart, I draw your attention to the forced displacement of Rohingya and their exodus to Bangladesh, which we mark today on Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day,” Yunus said. “It will be a historic blunder to wait until the last Rohingya leave Rakhine.”

Bangladesh currently hosts around 1.3 million forcibly displaced Rohingya, most of whom fled military crackdowns in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in 2017. With camps in Cox’s Bazar under mounting pressure, Dhaka has repeatedly stressed that repatriation is the only sustainable solution to the crisis.

The Seven-Point Proposal Yunus’s framework includes:

• Ensuring safe, sustainable, and voluntary return of Rohingya to their ancestral lands.
• Adequate international funding to support both displaced Rohingya and host communities.
• Immediate cessation of violence by Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army.
• Establishing a dialogue platform to guarantee Rohingya rights, citizenship, and inclusion.
• Stronger ASEAN engagement in halting ethnic cleansing.
• Greater accountability for crimes against humanity.
• Full implementation of the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures to end genocide.

“The international community, especially ASEAN, must act with greater resolve to stop the atrocities and enforce justice,” Yunus emphasized.

Global Support for Accountability

On the same day, embassies of Canada, the UK, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Finland, France, and Australia in Bangladesh issued a joint statement marking the eighth year of the Rohingya exodus. They condemned Myanmar’s military regime and armed groups for escalating violence and human rights violations, calling for immediate humanitarian access and the release of political prisoners.

The statement reaffirmed that the international community stands with the Rohingya in their struggle for justice and safe return, aligning with Bangladesh’s long-standing call for a sustainable solution inside Myanmar.

A Pro-Repatriation Stand

Analysts note that Yunus’s proposal not only reasserts Bangladesh’s moral and political commitment but also pushes the global discourse from temporary aid to durable repatriation. Advocates argue that Rohingya cannot remain indefinitely in camps, stripped of rights and opportunities, while Myanmar authorities attempt to erase their identity.

“Repatriation with rights and security is the only path forward,” said a civil society representative attending the conference. “Anything less would legitimize Myanmar’s campaign of ethnic cleansing.”

As the crisis enters its eighth year, Bangladesh’s stance highlights an urgent truth: without international pressure on Myanmar and enforcement of ICJ rulings, the Rohingya will remain trapped between statelessness and despair.

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