Cooperation on Rohingya, climate, migration issues to continue: Switzerland

Deputy Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Head of Switzerland’s Humanitarian Aid Division Ambassador Dominik Stillhart on Tuesday said the SDC will continue its cooperation with Bangladesh on humanitarian issues related to the Rohingya refugee crisis, climate risk reduction and migration.

Ambassador Stillhart, who is currently visiting Bangladesh, informed the senior officials of Bangladesh about the Swiss Parliament’s approval of the International Cooperation Strategy 2025–2028, which requires substantial budget cuts.

As a result, he said, the ongoing bilateral development cooperation programme with Bangladesh will gradually phase out by the end of 2028.

As Bangladesh embarks on a socio-economic transition, Switzerland said it will focus on further deepening its diplomatic and economic cooperation with the country.

Ambassador Stillhart and Ambassador of Switzerland to Bangladesh, Reto Renggli, met Chief Adviser’s Envoy on International Affairs Lutfey Siddiqi, High Representative on Rohingya Issue and Priority Matters Dr Khalilur Rahman and Principal Coordinator for SDG Affairs Lamiya Morshed at the Chief Adviser’s office.

Ambassador Stillhart reiterated Switzerland’s continued support for Bangladesh in addressing the Rohingya refugee crisis.

As the crisis protracted, he underlined the importance of keeping the refugee crisis high on the global agenda and finding solutions to improve the education and livelihood opportunities for the Rohingya population.