Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has urged the Netherlands to step up support for the more than one million Rohingyas sheltering in Bangladesh, warning that a severe funding shortfall threatens ongoing humanitarian operations in Cox’s Bazar.

During a courtesy call by newly appointed Dutch Ambassador Boris van Bommel at the State Guest House Jamuna on Wednesday (Sept 18), Yunus highlighted the scale of the crisis and appealed for stronger international assistance.

He informed the envoy that a high-level international conference on the Rohingya crisis will take place on September 30 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, expressing hope the event will help mobilize critical resources and draw renewed global attention to the plight of refugees.

“The crisis requires sustained international solidarity. Without adequate funding, humanitarian operations in the camps will be at serious risk,” Yunus cautioned.

Ambassador van Bommel acknowledged the urgency of the situation, saying the Rohingya issue deserves greater international focus, though he noted that attention has been diverted by other ongoing geopolitical conflicts.

The meeting also touched on broader bilateral relations, including water management cooperation and Bangladesh’s preparations for the upcoming general election.

BOB Post