SRINAGAR: The United Nations has warned that the plight of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar has reached a critical stage, describing it as a “test for humanity” and urging the international community to step up action before it is too late. The warning came during a high-level conference at UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday, where top UN officials, heads of state and Rohingya activists gathered to address the worsening humanitarian crisis, UN News reported.
Opening the session with the stark words, “Houses burned. Neighbours killed. Hope vanishing,” General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said the deepening conflict in Myanmar, unleashed after the February 2021 military coup, threatens not only millions inside the country but also the stability of the wider region.
At the centre of the emergency are the Rohingya, long denied Burmese citizenship, driven from their homes and forced into exile or camps. More than a million now live in Bangladesh, while countless others remain displaced inside Myanmar under conditions the UN described as “dire” and “unsustainable.”
Briefings presented at the conference highlighted forced recruitment, sexual violence, starvation and mass displacement in Rakhine state, the Rohingyas’ ancestral home. Aid agencies warned that resources are fast running out, leaving refugees malnourished and forcing many into perilous sea journeys.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in a message delivered by his Chef de Cabinet Courtenay Rattray, said the crisis has “trampled on the human rights, dignity and safety of millions and threatens regional stability.” He urged immediate steps to protect civilians, guarantee humanitarian access, and reinvigorate support for refugees and host communities. “The solution to this crisis lies ultimately in Myanmar,” he stressed, calling for an end to persecution and recognition that “the Rohingya belong – as full citizens.”
Baerbock underscored the human cost, pointing to the 800,000 Rohingya children out of school in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar camps and noting that this year’s humanitarian response plan is just 12 per cent funded. “This should put us to shame,” she declared, urging states to boost aid and pursue a political solution for safe, voluntary and sustainable return.
Rohingya activists at the conference delivered powerful testimony. Wai Wai Nu, founder of the Myanmar Women’s Peace Network, warned that atrocities had worsened since the mass exodus of 2017, with killings, forced conscription and sexual violence ongoing. “Without action, the Rohingya exodus will continue until there is no more Rohingya left in Myanmar,” she said, calling for cross-border humanitarian corridors, targeted sanctions and accountability for atrocity crimes.
Rofik Husson, founder of the Arakan Youth Peace Network, recounted his own experiences of displacement and violence, including village burnings and a May 2024 massacre that displaced 200,000 people in a single day. “Ending the crisis of insecurity for the Rohingya community is a test for this Assembly and a test for humanity itself,” he told delegates, urging the creation of an internationally supervised safe zone in northern Rakhine.
Adding a wider perspective, UN Special Envoy Julie Bishop warned that with no ceasefire in place and conflict spreading, Myanmar’s planned elections later this year risk fuelling further bloodshed. “There is no agreed pathway to peace,” she cautioned, lamenting that international pressure on the junta has waned even as abuses persist.
Despite the grim outlook, speakers emphasised that solutions remain possible if political will can be mobilised. “The Rohingya people have survived eight years of hardship, displacement and uncertainty. Their resilience is extraordinary. Our response must match it,” Baerbock said.
For Rohingya leaders, the demand was clear: words are no longer enough. “Justice is not optional… It is the only deterrent, the only path to peace,” said Wai Wai Nu.
