The Rohingya are Being Erased: A Test of Global Conscience at the UN

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The annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) has once again concluded, its halls now silent after a week of lofty oratory. World leaders delivered meticulously crafted speeches on the defining crises of our time: the war in Ukraine, the climate emergency, and universal human rights. Yet, amidst this global agenda, one of the most acute humanitarian tragedies of our era—the systematic persecution and displacement of the Rohingya people—was met with little more than perfunctory, symbolic mention. The genocide that forced nearly a million Rohingya to flee Myanmar for overcrowded camps in Bangladesh, and the continued oppression of those who remain, is being quietly relegated to the margins of global concern. This is not an oversight; it is a failure of conscience and strategy.

The profound tragedy is not merely that the Rohingya continue to suffer, but that their suffering has become a normalized, almost accepted, feature of the international landscape. Since the Myanmar military’s brutal 2017 “clearance operations”—a sanitized term for a campaign of mass murder, rape, and arson that reduced hundreds of villages to ash—the world’s response has been characterized by strong condemnations but cripplingly limited action. A genocide determination by the US, ongoing hearings at the International Court of Justice, and a cascade of UN reports have done little to alter the material reality of the Rohingya. They remain one of the world’s largest stateless populations, their existence defined by dependence on dwindling humanitarian aid and a complete absence of a credible path to justice or return.

This year’s UNGA presented a critical, and missed, opportunity to change course. The context in Myanmar has fundamentally shifted. The junta is weakened, and in a dramatic turn, the Arakan Army now controls much of Rakhine State, the Rohingyas’ ancestral homeland. This is not a minor geopolitical adjustment. For decades, the fate of the Rohingya was dictated solely by Naypyidaw’s exclusionary and violent policies. Now, a powerful ethnic armed group holds sway over the territory. This new reality could potentially open the door to novel political arrangements, but it also carries the grave risk of further entrenching the Rohingya’s marginalization if they are once again excluded from negotiations about their own land.

Yet, in the diplomatic chambers of New York, this seismic shift was largely ignored. Discussions of Myanmar’s civil war remained abstract, with few leaders addressing the specific and precarious plight of the Rohingya. Bangladesh, heroically and exhaustedly hosting almost a million refugees in the increasingly desperate camps of Cox’s Bazar, rightly repeated its calls for repatriation. But these pleas have become a ritualistic annual performance at the UN, devoid of the political will necessary to make them a reality. The failure lies not with Dhaka’s persistence, but with the international community’s refusal to craft a strategy that acknowledges the new power dynamics on the ground. To speak of repatriation in a vacuum, while ignoring the Arakan Army’s control over Rakhine, is an exercise in political theater, not a viable plan.

Meanwhile, the situation for refugees in Bangladesh is rapidly deteriorating. As donor fatigue sets in, international aid has plummeted. The World Food Programme has been forced to implement severe food ration cuts, leading to rising malnutrition, surging crime, and a deep, corrosive despair, particularly among a generation of youth who see no future. Cox’s Bazar, once a symbol of humanitarian compassion, now teeters on the brink of a deeper crisis—a breeding ground for radicalization and human trafficking networks. The UNGA could have been a platform to sound a global alarm and rally resources. Instead, it was business as usual.

This neglect is dangerously short-sighted, for reasons that extend far beyond morality. Regional stability hangs in the balance. A destabilized Rakhine State, coupled with the growing unrest in the camps, creates a combustible mix that threatens to spill across borders. Bangladesh, itself navigating a delicate political transition, cannot bear this burden indefinitely. Meanwhile, Myanmar’s powerful neighbors, namely China and India, have significant strategic interests in Rakhine—from the Kyaukphyu deep-sea port to cross-border energy pipelines. If the international community continues its passive approach, these interests will dictate the future of the region, almost certainly at the expense of the Rohingya, who will be rendered invisible once more.

The UN system itself must bear a significant portion of the blame. For years, it has been paralyzed, attempting to balance the condemnation of atrocities with the need for engagement with Myanmar’s authorities. The result has been institutional inertia. Now, with the junta on the defensive and ethnic armed groups ascendant, the UN should be urgently reassessing its approach. Instead, the default setting remains one of cautious observation, endless reporting, and a fear of proactive diplomacy. This is not prudence; it is an abdication of the UN’s founding principles.

What is required is a new, clear-eyed diplomatic framework that acknowledges the facts on the ground. This must include:

  1. Engagement with Actual Power Brokers: The international community must move beyond its exclusive focus on the junta and initiate direct dialogue with the Arakan Army, the National Unity Government, and other key stakeholders in Rakhine State. Any future political settlement that does not include guarantees for the Rohingya’s rights, safety, and pathway to citizenship will only perpetuate the cycle of violence and displacement.

  2. A Resurgence of Humanitarian Aid: Donor nations must reverse the catastrophic decline in funding for the refugee camps in Bangladesh. Allowing a generation of Rohingya children to grow up malnourished, uneducated, and without hope is not merely a moral failure; it is an active recipe for long-term instability and radicalization that will haunt the region for decades.

  3. The Operationalization of Accountability: The genocide determination must be more than a label. It must form the basis for sustained, creative diplomatic and legal pressure. This includes bolstering the UN’s Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and exploring all avenues to ensure perpetrators, including those at the highest levels, are held to account.

At the UNGA, leaders eloquently speak of a “responsibility to protect” and the defense of a “rules-based international order.” The Rohingya crisis is the ultimate test case for these principles. If the UN cannot muster the will to address an ongoing genocide—one it has already documented and condemned—then what credibility does it retain to confront atrocities anywhere else?

The Rohingya are in danger of becoming a permanently forgotten people. Stripped of their citizenship, trapped in the limbo of refugee camps, and ignored on the world’s most prominent stage, they embody the catastrophic failure of the global system to protect the most vulnerable. The recent UNGA could have been a moment to break this cycle. Instead, it revealed a world that has grown comfortable condemning injustice in rhetoric while tolerating it through inaction.

It is not yet too late. The shifting realities in Rakhine, political changes in Bangladesh, and the growing voice of solidarity from Muslim-majority nations all present openings for a renewed and robust diplomatic initiative. But seizing this moment requires leadership, and true leadership demands courage. Without it, next year’s UNGA will be a grim echo of the last: another missed opportunity, another round of empty speeches, and another year in the endless purgatory of the Rohingya people.

 

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If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our journalism and sustains our future. Support the Dawat Media Center from as little as $/€10 – it only takes a minute. If you can, please consider supporting us with a regular amount each month. Thank you
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