Overview

• The UN General Assembly convened a high-level meeting on September 30 to map a path for voluntary, dignified returns and to bolster protection for Rohingya and other minorities.
• UN Special Envoy Julie Bishop called the fighting between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army an insurmountable barrier to return, with conditions worsening since late 2023.
• A UN‑backed IIMM report released September 29 found authorities systematically razed Rohingya villages and turned land into security outposts, with private firms providing machinery and labor under state contracts.
• Humanitarian funding remains critically short as UNHCR warns 1.2 million refugees in Bangladesh face drastic aid cuts and WFP flags possible ration halving to about $6 per person; the UK pledged $36 million and the United States announced more than $60 million tied to expanded work access.
• Rohingya activists described killings, forced recruitment and other abuses by both the junta and the Arakan Army, while observers noted limited direct representation of camp refugees at the UN meeting.