A United Nations human rights expert is due to visit Bangladesh from 11 to 18 November to examine how the situation in neighbouring Myanmar is affecting the country, including the conditions faced by Rohingya refugees.
Kelley E. Currie, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, is scheduled to travel to Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar district, where she will visit refugee camp sites. The UN announced the planned mission on 10 November.
The visit will look at developments in Myanmar’s Rakhine State and the wider armed conflict, as well as the situation of Rohingya refugees and possibilities for future cooperation. Currie is expected to meet government officials, civil society representatives, victims and survivors during her stay.
The announcement describes a planned visit; it does not establish that the meetings or camp visits have already taken place. A press conference is scheduled for 18 November at UN House in Dhaka.
Access to Myanmar
According to the UN advisory, Currie formally requested access for a country visit to Myanmar. She was told by the country’s military authorities that they were not ready to accommodate a visit.
Special rapporteurs are independent experts appointed through the UN Human Rights Council’s special procedures. They serve in their individual capacity and are not UN staff. The Myanmar mandate was first established in 1992. Currie is due to present her next report to the council in March 2027.
Pressure on refugee assistance
Rohingya people have fled Myanmar’s Rakhine State in successive movements over decades. The largest influx came in August 2017, when around 750,000 people crossed into Bangladesh, according to the UN refugee agency.
In May this year, the UN and its partners estimated that about 1.2 million Rohingya refugees were living in Bangladesh. They said around 150,000 had arrived since early 2024 as conflict in Myanmar continued. Those figures are estimates from May, rather than a new count taken during Currie’s visit.
Bangladesh hosts refugees in camps in Cox’s Bazar and on Bhasan Char. The humanitarian response also covers local communities affected by the crisis. In May, the UN and its partners appealed for $710.5 million for a scaled-down 2026 response intended to reach up to 1.56 million refugees and host-community members.
The appeal was 26 per cent lower than the previous year’s, the organisations said. Its requirements included food, shelter, water and sanitation, education and health. The requested amount is an appeal for funding, not a statement that the full sum has been received or spent.
The UN refugee agency has warned that many Rohingya households remain heavily dependent on aid, with limited opportunities to earn a living. It has called for support that helps refugees build skills and resilience while seeking conditions for a voluntary, safe and dignified return to Myanmar.
Separate court proceedings
The visit is scheduled shortly before a separate case concerning Myanmar is due to reach judgment at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The court has set 19 November for its decision in proceedings brought by The Gambia under the Genocide Convention.
The Gambia alleges that Myanmar violated the convention in relation to the Rohingya. Myanmar has contested the allegations, including the claim of genocidal intent. The case concerns the responsibility of a state, not a criminal trial of individuals, and the court’s judgment was still pending at the time of the mission announcement.
