19/09/2026
Rohingya Gen-Z Coordinators Hold First Joint Meeting to Discuss Common Goals..
Arakan Monitor TVâ September 19, 2026
Youth coordinators from the Rohingya Gen-Z movement in different refugee camps in Coxâs Bazar, Bangladesh, held their first joint meeting on September 18 to discuss challenges facing the refugee community and explore ways to work together toward a safer, more united, and peaceful future.
During the meeting, coordinators from different camps shared their experiences, concerns, and ideas. Discussions focused on security, unity, peace, justice, and the possibility of a safe, dignified, voluntary, and sustainable return to Rakhine State.
Participants said Rohingya Gen-Z youth can play an important role in strengthening unity within the refugee camps, addressing security concerns, confronting injustices, and encouraging young people to take greater responsibility for their future.
A Youth Movement, Not a CBO
Rohingya Gen-Z describes itself not as a conventional community-based organization (CBO) or NGO, but as a decentralized youth movement that emerged from within the refugee community.
According to the movement, its vision is to build a world where Rohingya identity is no longer used against Rohingya people; where they have equal rights, citizenship rights, and the freedom to choose where they live; and where the Rohingya community can live peacefully, with dignity and self-determination, in their ancestral homeland of Rakhine.
The movement also says it seeks to build a community based on justice, education, employment, and cultural pride.
Youth activists said they should not give up their efforts to protect Rohingya rights, freedoms, dignity, and pursuit of justice.
âWe Cannot Keep Passing This Responsibility to the Next Generationâ
Participants also expressed concern about the future of Rohingya children growing up in refugee camps in Bangladesh.
Many children have never seen Rakhine and know about their ancestral homeland mainly through stories from their parents and grandparents. Participants said that simply passing Rohingya identity, history, and aspirations from one generation to another is not enough.
âWe cannot keep passing our responsibility to the next generation. If we continue to wait without taking responsibility ourselves, there is a risk that we will leave an unfinished struggle for our children,â Rohingya Gen-Z spokesperson Sahat Zia Hero reportedly said during the discussion.
Discussion on Cooperation
The coordinators also discussed strengthening cooperation and coordination among CBOs, youth groups, community leaders, activists abroad, and other stakeholders.
Participants said that rather than creating another separate organizational structure, it is more important for different groups within the Rohingya community to work together around shared interests and common goals.
They also emphasized the need for cooperation among CBOs, Rohingya activists abroad, camp-based youth, community representatives, and armed groups, while recognizing that these stakeholders have different roles and perspectives.
Participants further said that continued division and confrontation among different groups could make it more difficult to build peace within the community and achieve a sustainable solution to the Rohingya issue.
Nearly Nine Years of Waiting
Nearly nine years have passed since large numbers of Rohingya fled to Bangladesh following the violence in Myanmar in 2017.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya in the refugee camps in Coxâs Bazar continue to wait for conditions that would allow them to return safely, voluntarily, and with dignity.
Rohingya Gen-Z says the prolonged displacement has created a growing sense of urgency among young people.
Young people who have grown up in the camps are increasingly asking difficult questions about their future, their identity, and the responsibilities of their generation.
The movement says it views the current moment as an opportunity for Rohingya youth to take greater responsibility for the future of their community, rather than simply waiting for governments, international organizations, or other institutions to act.
The movement has also raised the question of whether, after nearly nine years of displacement, the international community has failed to deliver justice for the Rohingya, and whether this is now a time for Rohingya Gen-Z to take greater collective responsibility for protecting their rights, preserving their identity, and working toward freedom, dignity, and a sustainable future.
Although the first meeting of camp coordinators was only an initial step, participants described it as an important effort to build stronger connections among Rohingya youth across different refugee camps.
Unity should no longer be just a slogan. It must become collective action,â the Rohingya Gen-Z statement said
