Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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173. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the actions his Department has taken in support of the Rohingya Muslim population in Bangladesh given their ongoing persecution and displacement from Myanmar due to ethnic cleansing and genocide. [55471/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I remain deeply concerned about the situation in Myanmar, especially in relation to the treatment of the Rohingya Muslims and other minorities. The Rohingya have been subject to continuous attacks, forced displacement, and abhorrent treatment over a period of years. More than 1 million Rohingya have been displaced to camps in Bangladesh since 2017, joining earlier waves of refugees. Ireland has repeatedly condemned the human rights abuses inflicted in Myanmar and against the Rohingya by the Myanmar military and other armed groups.

Ireland has actively engaged on highlighting the situation of the Rohingya in multilateral fora, including at the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council. Most recently, on 30 September Ireland participated in a UN High-Level Conference on the situation of the Rohingya Muslims and other minorities from Myanmar, which had a focus on how to find a sustainable solution for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

Ireland has repeatedly stated that any repatriation of refugees to Myanmar should take place only when conditions exist that are conducive to a voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return. These conditions do not currently exist and latest reports show no indication of the situation substantively changing in the near future. Ireland welcomes consideration of further measures that would be effective in restoring Myanmar’s democratic path, and creating conditions conducive to the voluntary, safe and dignified return of Rohingya and other refugees.

There are now 33 refugee camps around Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, where Rohingya people are living. The Irish Ambassador to India has visited some of these refugee camps in 2024 and again in 2025, to learn more about the situation, and to highlight the situation in which these refugees find themselves, and to see how the difference that Irish support is making. The most recent visit was organised by UNHCR, and Ireland is one of UNHCR’s key donors and partners in the region.

Since 2017, Ireland has provided more than €9 million in funding to support Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, including €1.5 million provided in 2025. That assistance has primarily been channelled via the UNHCR Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya Refugee Crisis in Bangladesh. This delivers life-saving assistance to Rohingya refugees in in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char, while also supporting vulnerable members of the Bangladeshi host community there. The JRP also works to enhance the longer-term resilience of Rohingya refugees and host communities. This funding specifically to address the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh, is in addition to the funding which Ireland provides in response to the humanitarian crisis within Myanmar.

Securing accountability for crimes committed against the Rohingya is also of great importance to Ireland. Ireland supports the International Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar and the International Criminal Court, who are investigating crimes committed against the Rohingya. In December 2024, Ireland intervened in The Gambia’s case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice.

My Department will continue to engage both with EU partners and at the UN to press for a long-term sustainable resolution to the crisis in Myanmar, such that there will be a pathway for refugees to safely return and to seek accountability for those responsible for serious criminal acts against them. Ireland supports ASEAN’s efforts to this end, including the full and effective implementation of the Five Points Consensus.