United News of Bangladesh

As United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres visits Bangladesh, international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) have urged the global community to take immediate and coordinated action to address the worsening Rohingya crisis. With funding shortages and shifting international priorities threatening critical humanitarian aid, INGOs warn that failure to act will exacerbate economic pressures and social tensions in host communities. Severe funding cuts, set to take effect in April, will reduce food rations by over half, further straining essential services such as nutrition, water and sanitation, protection, shelter, and livelihoods, according to a statement from INGOs. Now in its eighth year, the Rohingya crisis continues to place a heavy burden on Bangladesh’s resources while donor commitments decline amid competing global emergencies. INGOs emphasise the need for a long-term, sustainable approach that integrates humanitarian relief, development, and peace-building. They advocate for the implementation of a Triple Nexus Approach, which links immediate aid efforts with economic opportunities, skills training, and livelihood programs to reduce dependency and foster self-reliance among both Rohingya refugees and host communities. Hasina Rahman, representative of the INGO Strategic Executive Group for Rohingya Response and Country Director of the International Rescue Committee, emphasised the urgency of political commitment. “The Rohingya crisis is not just a resource crisis but a crisis of political will. The UN and the international community must ensure sustained support and invest in long-term solutions,” she stated. Leading humanitarian organisations—including ACF, ActionAid, Cordaid, Concern Worldwide, DRC, Handicap International, International Rescue Committee, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, Plan International, Save the Children, and World Vision—have collectively called for renewed global support. Farah Kabir, country director of ActionAid Bangladesh, warned against neglecting the issue. “Without immediate and decisive action, we risk allowing the Rohingya crisis to become a forgotten tragedy. A people-cantered approach, ensuring livelihoods, skills, and education opportunities, is the way forward,” she said. Count on UN to help build sustainable, equitable future for all: Guterres tells Dr Yunus Oxfam Bangladesh Country Director Ashish Damle called for a structured and dedicated mission to manage the crisis effectively. “The Rohingya are not just numbers in a database—they are human beings. Given the prolonged nature of this crisis, we urge global stakeholders to consider a sustainable response,” he remarked. While continued humanitarian support remains essential, INGOs stressed that the ultimate solution lies in the safe, voluntary, and dignified repatriation of the Rohingya to Myanmar. Achieving this requires stronger international diplomatic efforts to ensure Myanmar recognizes their rights, guarantees their safety, and creates conditions conducive to their return. INGOs also emphasised the need for regional and global engagement to explore sustainable pathways, including resettlement options. Kabita Bose, country director of Plan International Bangladesh, highlighted the plight of Rohingya women and children. “Half of the people in the refugee camps are women and girls, while more than 500,000 children are growing up in uncertainty. The world must stand by them until we can ensure safe and dignified repatriation,” she said. Sibghatullah Ahmed, country manager of Handicap International Federation, stressed the importance of inclusive support. “We emphasise the need for greater collaboration to address the needs of the entire displaced community, including persons with disabilities, while working toward sustainable and long-term solutions,” he said. Echoing the collective call for action, Sumitra Mukherjee, country director of the Danish Refugee Council in Bangladesh, urged global stakeholders to reaffirm their commitment. “We must unite, strengthen our coordination, and ensure that the Rohingya and host communities don’t feel abandoned by the international system,” she said. With the crisis at a critical juncture, INGOs are calling on the international community to step up before conditions further deteriorate. They stress that bold and decisive action is needed to secure a sustainable future where Rohingya refugees and host communities are not left in limbo but empowered to reclaim their rights and dignity.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke to Rohingya children at a learning centre in the Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar on Friday. Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and Antonio Guterres arrived in the coastal town to attend several programmes, including a visit to the refugee camp. Ramadan Solidarity: Dr Yunus, Guterres in Cox’s Bazar to join iftar with Rohingyas They are being accompanied by UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) Rabab Fatima, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, SDGs Affairs Principal Coordinator Lamiya Morshed, and Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam.  

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday expressed appreciation for the close cooperation between the United Nations and Bangladesh as well as for Bangladesh’s generosity towards Rohingya refugees. The Secretary-General also expressed his solidarity with Bangladesh’s reform and transition process when Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain and High Representative to the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh on Rohingya Issues and Priority Affairs Khalilur Rahman met him on Friday. Ramadan Solidarity: Dr Yunus, Guterres in Cox’s Bazar to join iftar with Rohingyas Antonio Guterres thanked Bangladesh for its strong commitment to UN peacekeeping, said the UN office.  The Secretary-General and the Foreign Adviser discussed Bangladesh’s ongoing transition and reform efforts. Antonio Guterres and the High Representative discussed the situation in Rakhine state and the upcoming High-Level Conference on Rohingya and other minorities in Myanmar.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived here in the sea-front town on Friday afternoon to attend a number programmes, including a tour to the Rohingya refugee camp. Disaster Management and Relief Adviser Faruk E Azam Bir Protik received them upon their arrival at Cox’s Bazar International Airport at around 12:55pm. UN Under-Secretary General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) Rabab Fatima, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, SDGs Affairs Principal Coordinator Lamiya Morshed and Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam are accompanying them. The chief adviser will visit the under-construction Cox's Bazar International Airport and the Khurushkul Climate Refugee Center before visiting the Rohingya camp. The UN chief will share an Iftar with the refugees, to be hosted by Dr Yunus. The UN chief and Dr Yunus will meet with Rohingya refugees who have been forcibly displaced from their homes in Myanmar. They will also meet with the host Bangladeshi communities who have been so generous in hosting them. Count on UN to help build sustainable, equitable future for all: Guterres tells Dr Yunus "Every Ramadan, I spend time with Muslim communities living in difficult circumstances, to observe the fast with them and help shine a spotlight on their plight. This year I’m in Bangladesh to express my solidarity with Rohingya refugees and the Bangladeshi people hosting them," Guterres said on his Ramadan solidarity visit.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday pledged UN support to Bangladesh to build a sustainable and equitable future for all. "As the country undergoes important reforms and transitions, you can count on the UN to help build a sustainable and equitable future for all," he said after his meeting with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at the Chief Adviser’s Office in the morning. The UN chief thanked Dr Yunus, the interim government and the people of Bangladesh for their warm welcome. The UN Secretary-General and Dr Yunus discussed the issues of mutual interests, including the Rohingya refugee crisis. Guterres expressed his full support for the reform process initiated by Bangladesh's interim government and voiced concerns for declining humanitarian aid for more than a million Rohingya refugees living in the country's southeast. The UN chief reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to Dhaka's reform agenda and voiced his concerns for "one of the most discriminated peoples" in the world during a meeting with Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at his Tejgaon office in Dhaka. "I want to express our total commitment to the reform process. We are here to support your reforms. We wish you all the best. Whatever we can do, let us know," the UN Secretary General told Professor Yunus during his hour-long meeting. UN chief speaks with Rohingya children at learning centre He hoped that the reforms would lead to a free and fair election and a "real transformation" of the country. "I know the process of reforms can be complex," he said. Guterres said he was also here to express solidarity with Myanmar's forcibly displaced Rohingya people during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "I've never seen a population so discriminated against. The International community is forgetting the Rohingya," the UN Secretary General said as he voiced his deep concern over declining humanitarian aid for the 1.2 million Rohingya refugees who live in camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district. "(Aid) cuts are a crime," he said, adding that Western nations were now doubling up on defense spending while humanitarian aid is squeezed across the globe. Guterres also expressed the UN's "enormous gratitude" to Bangladesh for hosting the Rohingya refugees. "Bangladesh has been extremely generous to the Rohingya people." "Rohingyas are a special case for me," he added.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who will visit the Rohingya camp together with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Friday afternoon, will "issue a call" to the international community to step up their humanitarian assistance for these men, women and children who have already suffered so much. He will share an Iftar with the refugees, to be hosted by Dr Yunus. A million Rohingyas will break fast in their camps in Cox's Bazar with Guterres and Chief Adviser Dr Yunus. "Every Ramadan, I spend time with Muslim communities living in difficult circumstances, to observe the fast with them and help shine a spotlight on their plight. This year I’m in Bangladesh to express my solidarity with Rohingya refugees and the Bangladeshi people hosting them," Guterres said on his Ramadan solidarity visit. Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain and High Representative of Chief Advisor on Rohingya Issue and Priority Matters Dr Khalilur Rahman met with the UN chief at Hotel InterContinental on Friday morning and discussed the issues related to the Rohingya crisis. The UN chief had a bilateral meeting with the chief adviser and they are scheduled to leave Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for Cox’s Bazar by a chartered Biman Bangladesh flight at 11:15am today (Friday), a senior official told UNB. Guterres arrived in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon with a packed schedule for Friday and Saturday, featuring a series of meetings and greater engagements in Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camp, before his departure on Sunday morning. Guterres and Dr Yunus will meet there with Rohingya refugees who have been forcibly displaced from their homes in Myanmar. UN chief to inspire Rohingyas with hope for safe return: Shafiqul Alam They will meet with the host Bangladeshi communities who have been so generous in hosting them. On Saturday in Dhaka, the secretary-general will meet with youth and representatives from civil society, said an official at the UN office in Dhaka. He will also have a joint press conference with the Foreign Adviser Hossain on Saturday afternoon. And we will update you on all of the secretary-general’s activities. Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Thursday said Guterres, who is now in city on a four-day Ramadan solidarity visit, will give the Rohingya community a message of hope that they will be able to return to their homeland soon in dignity and with safety, and that all of their rights will be fully established and respected. "We would also urge that the Secretary General will invest his exceptional leadership to make progress toward the objective of their early repatriation and ensure that international aid to Rohingyas are not adversely affected," Alam said while responding to some queries that he received from the media. Regarding contact with Arakan Army, the Press Secretary said considering the newly emerged situation in the Rakhine state, they ought to act and safeguard their border security, stability and peace. "Therefore, we are keeping operational contact with the actors on the other side of the border," Alam said. He said the solution of the Rohingya issue lies in sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas back to Myanmar. Dr Yunus, UN chief Guterres to visit Rohingya camps Friday This should be the highest priority of the international community, Alam said, adding that Bangladesh is relentlessly working toward this objective. Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees for long eight years. In recent months. around 80,000 more Rohingyas have entered Bangladesh. "It is beyond the capacity of Bangladesh to continue to host the forcibly displaced Rohingyas," Alam said. He said the international support for Rohingyas has taken a turn for the worse, leading to the decision to cut the daily food ration for the Rohingyas. "This will severely affect their nutritional status, particularly women and children. It will also have serious social and security implications, including safety and security within the camps and in the host community," Alam said. He said they reiterate Bangladesh's appeal to all donors and the UN system to ensure that the assistance to Rohingyas is given high priority and aid to them does not diminish. Global focus on Rohingya crisis to return through UN chief’s visit: Govt In light of the dire humanitarian situation in Rakhine State, the press secretary said, Bangladesh will positively consider supporting UN-led humanitarian assistance to the state.

A delegation led by the Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh, Yao Wen, paid a courtesy visit to Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman at Army Headquarters on Thursday. In addition to the exchange of greetings, they discussed opportunities to enhance technical and military cooperation between the Bangladeshi and Chinese militaries as well as participation in Bangladesh-China joint military exercises.

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Thursday said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who is now in city on a four-day Ramadan solidarity visit, will give the Rohingya community a message of hope that they will be able to return to their homeland soon in dignity and with safety, and that all of their rights will be fully established and respected. "We would also urge that the Secretary General will invest his exceptional leadership to make progress toward the objective of their early repatriation and ensure that international aid to Rohingyas are not adversely affected," Alam said while responding to some queries that he received from the media. "Every Ramadan, I spend time with Muslim communities living in difficult circumstances, to observe the fast with them and help shine a spotlight on their plight. This year I’m in Bangladesh to express my solidarity with Rohingya refugees and the Bangladeshi people hosting them," Guterres said on his Ramadan solidarity visit. On Friday, one million Rohingyas will break fast in their camps in Cox's Bazar with Guterres and Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus. They will participate in the Iftar and hold munajat together, Alam said, adding that the Chief Adviser is hosting the event. Regarding contact with the Arakan Army, the Press Secretary said considering the newly emerged situation in the Rakhine state, they ought to act and safeguard their border security, stability and peace. "Therefore, we are keeping operational contact with the actors on the other side of the border," Alam said. He said the solution to the Rohingya issue lies in sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas back to Myanmar. This should be the highest priority of the international community, Alam said, adding that Bangladesh is relentlessly working toward this objective. Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees for eight years. In recent months. around 80,000 more Rohingyas have entered Bangladesh. "It is beyond the capacity of Bangladesh to continue to host the forcibly displaced Rohingyas," Alam said. He said the international support for Rohingyas has taken a turn for the worse, leading to the decision to cut the daily food ration for the Rohingyas. "This will severely affect their nutritional status, particularly women and children. It will also have serious social and security implications, including safety and security within the camps and in the host community," Alam said. He said they reiterate Bangladesh's appeal to all donors and the UN system to ensure that the assistance to Rohingyas is given high priority and aid to them does not diminish. In light of the dire humanitarian situation in Rakhine State, the Press Secretary said, Bangladesh will positively consider supporting UN-led humanitarian assistance to the state. UN Secretary-General Guterres arrived in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon with a packed schedule for Friday and Saturday, featuring a series of meetings and greater engagements in Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camp, before his departure on Sunday morning. Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain received the UN chief after his arrival at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport by an Emirates Airlines flight in the afternoon, said Chief Adviser’s deputy press secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder. Guterres will meet Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at his office on Friday morning. Adviser Hossain Touhid Hossain and High Representative on Rohingya issue and priority matters Dr Khalilur Rahman will also meet the UN chief at a city hotel. After these two separate meetings, the UN chief together with the Chief Adviser will travel to Cox’s Bazar to visit the Rohingya camps.

British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke has described the contribution of people of Sylhet to the economy of the United Kingdom as "very valuable”. The people of Sylhet played a significant role in strengthening ties between the two nations, Cooke said while speaking at an Iftar event in Sylhet. FAO, Bangladesh to work together to accelerate food security The Iftar gathering was held at the Grand Sylhet Hotel and Resort on Wednesday evening, organised by the British High Commission. The event was attended by a range of distinguished individuals from various sectors and professions. "Sylhet is instrumental in the growing and ever-stronger relationship between our countries," Cooke said, highlighting the importance of the Sylheti community in the UK. She went on to describe Bangladesh as a long-standing friend and partner of the United Kingdom, with the bond between the two growing stronger each day thanks to the people of Sylhet. Reflecting on the student protests that took place last year, Cooke expressed respect for the courage and peaceful demonstrations of the students. "We honour the students' bravery and peaceful protest. In this context, we are confident that the current interim government will contribute to improving law and order, governance, and fostering national unity.” The British high commissioner also shared her hopes for a prosperous democratic future for Bangladesh, while emphasising the UK’s ongoing support. CA’s press wing slams propaganda against Bangladesh by Indian media She also said the British government had provided Tk 7.5 crore in aid for those affected by the devastating floods in Sylhet last year, alongside support for 50,000 vulnerable individuals. Additionally, she added that the UK had funded initiatives to help Bangladesh mitigate risks associated with climate change. The high commissioner concluded by stressing the importance of further strengthening the relationship between the United Kingdom and Sylhet, noting the potential for even closer collaboration between the two.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) signed two projects with the government of Bangladesh on March 12 and 13 at the Economic Relations Division (ERD). The projects are “Technical Support to Sustainable and Resilient Investment towards Agriculture Sector Transformation Programme of Bangladesh” and “Emergency response to control and manage Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and African Swine Fever (ASF) in Bangladesh.” Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky, Secretary, Economic Relations Division (ERD), Ministry of Finance, and Jiaoqun Shi, FAO Representative in Bangladesh were present in both signing events. FAO has been working with Bangladesh, implementing over 380 technical assistance projects with a combined budget of USD 420 million since 1973. These projects span crops, fisheries, livestock, nutrition, food safety, One Health, urban food systems, agricultural transformation and digitalization, emergency response, climate resilience and forestry, said the FAO on Thursday. All the FAO projects are in line with the national planning documents, strategies and priorities of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Siddiky said as the country is opting for an agricultural transformation, Bangladesh is now embracing sustainable farming practices, enabling farmers to adapt to shifting environmental conditions while safeguarding food security and protecting natural resources. “New investments in agricultural sector will enable us more to work towards our common goal- a sustainable agri food system for Bangladesh.’’ Jiaoqun Shi said the strong collaboration between FAO and the government of Bangladesh will help them accelerate progress towards food security, nutrition, and sustainable agricultural development in Bangladesh. With a budget of USD 4 355 372, this project is funded by the Gates foundation aiming to encourage investment in the crop sector and enhance the innovative technologies in line with agricultural transformation towards sustainable agro-economic growth in Bangladesh. The key objectives of this project are, assessing Agricultural Transformation Program (ATP) related public investment efficacy, developing regional Priority Investment Plans for Agri-Transformation, supporting the implementation of innovative technologies, and strengthening the capacity of GoB to support ATP implementation. With these key objectives the project will largely support the Program on Agricultural and Rural Transformation for Nutrition, Entrepreneurship, and Resilience in Bangladesh (PARTNER), which is being implemented under Ministry of Agriculture (MoA).  With a budget of USD 500 000, this Emergency TCP project aims to reduce the incidence and economic impact of Foot and Mouth Diseases (FMD), establish the effectiveness of a risk-based FMD vaccination program, and establish the foundation for the progressive control of African Swine Fever (ASF). This initiative will provide valuable evidence for future FMD control efforts using risk-based vaccination strategies and serve as a framework for subsequent ASF control measures which will ultimately support sustainable livestock productivity and safeguarding farmers' livelihoods in Bangladesh.