Humanitarian actors on Sunday called for ensuring dignity and honor for Rohingya refugees and host communities, greater engagement of local NGOs in humanitarian operations, and a clear roadmap for the safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar.
The demands were raised at a seminar organized by the Cox’s Bazar CSO NGO Forum (CCNF) and COAST Foundation at the Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) in Cox’s Bazar on the occasion of World Refugee Day 2026.
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Bangladesh is currently hosting around 1.6 million Rohingya refugees. Since the mass influx in 2017, the government, local communities, national and international NGOs, and UN agencies have been providing humanitarian assistance.
Speakers expressed concern over declining humanitarian funding and stressed the need for a more cost-effective and locally led response. The 2026 Joint Response Plan (JRP) seeks US$710.5 million to support Rohingya refugees and host communities in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char. However, as of June 2026, only US$368.3 million had been received, leaving the appeal less than half funded.
Participants alleged that local NGOs have largely been excluded from the implementation framework of the JRP 2026 despite being a low-cost mechanism for delivering assistance.
They said the current response structure does not adequately reflect the principles of the UN Humanitarian Reset, which advocates locally led and globally supported humanitarian action, stronger partnerships and increased pooled funding for local and national actors. They noted that local actors did not receive direct support from a recent UN OCHA funding package of US$150 million, of which 92 percent went to UN agencies and 8 percent to international NGOs.
The seminar also called for a “JRP 2.0” framework that would combine humanitarian assistance with a clear pathway for Rohingya repatriation.
Presenting the keynote paper, COAST Foundation’s Md. Iqbal Uddin urged a revision of the definition of local NGOs in the Rohingya response to recognize organizations originating from Cox’s Bazar and led by local people. He also called for meaningful participation of local government institutions, the district administration and the RRRC in the JRP process.
RRRC Mohammed Mizanur Rahman said migration from Myanmar’s Rakhine State to Cox’s Bazar has a long history and stressed the need to address groundwater depletion through alternatives to deep tubewells.
David Bugden, Head of the Rohingya Coordination Platform, acknowledged the sacrifices of host communities and underscored the importance of international diplomacy in supporting repatriation efforts.
Marcel Grogan, Head of Strategic Oversight Service at UNHCR, emphasized strengthening peaceful coexistence between Rohingya refugees and host communities while pursuing safe and dignified repatriation through coordinated national and international efforts.
Other speakers highlighted issues including environmental restoration, alternative water sources, law and order, drug trafficking and arms dealing in the camps, and increased allocations for host communities. Several participants reiterated the demand for the safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.