Almost 140,000 of Myanmar's 1.1 million Rohingya, most of whom are stateless, remain displaced after deadly clashes with Buddhists in Rakhine in 2012.
"The international community is still deeply concerned about the situation in Rakhine," Ban told a gathering of countries called the "Partnership Group on Myanmar."
"Long-term stability in Rakhine will remain unattainable without comprehensively addressing the issue of status and citizenship of the Muslim populations," he said.
The Muslim Rohingya in the country formerly called Burma are at particular risk of abuse, having been subjected to restrictions on marriage, registration of births, and many other human rights violations, rights groups say.