Staff Reporter :
Chief Advisor to the Interim Government Professor Muhammad Yunus in a pivotal address at the 79th UN General Assembly high-level side event on the Rohingya crisis called for immediate and collaborative efforts to address the Rohingya crisis.
He has also placed three proposals to address it to prevent deteriorating human security facing the Rohingya people.
The event, co-hosted by Indonesia, the Gambia, Turkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, highlighted the urgent need for a comprehensive response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
His three proposals includes: one, UN Secretary General may convene an all stakeholders’ conference on the Rohingya crisis soonest possible. The conference should review the overall situation of the crisis and suggest innovative and forward looking way outs;
Two, the Joint Response Plan, managed jointly by the UN system and Bangladesh, needs to be energized. The resource raising mechanism needs further political push in view of the sliding funding situation;
Three, international community should seriously support the justice and accountability mechanism to address genocidal crimes committed against the Rohingya community. I look forward to hearing from Prosecutor Karim Khan on the progress of the case in ICC. Eventually, redressing injustice that has been perpetrated by the military junta in Myanmar is the key to long term peace and security;
“I reiterate my government’s full commitment, of our openness to work with all stakeholders in upholding rights, dignity and security of the Rohingya people. We look forward to political resolution of the crisis,” he added.
He further said that the crisis just does not concern only Bangladesh.
“The challenges faced by the people of Myanmar is certain to spill over to the neighbouring and regional countries. Sadly, in Rakhine State, most of the UN Agencies and ICRC have discontinued their operations leaving millions of people at risk of hunger-induced displacement,” Dr Yunus addressed the event.
Pointing to the ASEAN countries, he said, “ASEAN and other regional countries can little ignore the wider humanitarian and inter-linked political challenges of the people-in-need. We also need to factor in the growing risk of communicable diseases in Myanmar that may impact the entire region. Therefore, regional countries engage with all stakeholders and assist through multiple ways and means.”
About the growing number of Rohingya population, he said, Bangladesh currently hosts over 1.2 million displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar. The world is little aware that around 32,000 newborn children add up to the population every year in the camps in Bangladesh. In the past two months, another 20,000 Rohingyas had fled to Bangladesh.
Despite hosting the Rohingyas with great empathy, a densely populated Bangladesh has been incurring so much in terms of social-economic-environmental costs. These culminate in a series of traditional and non-traditional security risks for us. Much of our own development gains are at stake, he mentioned.
“Clearly, Bangladesh has reached her limits. Therefore, as much as Bangladesh engages on humanitarian aspects or ensuring justice, repatriation of the Rohingyas remains the only sustainable solution to the protracted crisis,” he added.
To date, several UN General Assembly, Human Rights Council and even Security Council resolutions on Myanmar asked for creating conducive environment for dignified, safe and sustainable return of the Rohingyas. Regrettably, with the root causes of the crisis in Myanmar not addressed, in the last seven years, not a single Rohingya could return to their homeland.
The overall scenario leaves the forcibly displaced Rohingyas, their hosts and the global partners with lingering uncertainties while the focus and humanitarian support to the Rohingyas dwindle.
Presence of sizable young population in the Camps potentially creates another layer of complexity to the crisis, Professor Yunus said.
“We are concerned over the deteriorating security situation and instability in the bordering region, including sporadic group fighting and criminal activities.
Our law enforcement agencies and people, together with international community have so far been able to maintain peace and stability in the camps,” he said.
So, crisis in Rakhine State merits careful revisit, he emphasised.
Creating an inclusive society in Myanmar is key where all ethnic communities can live in peace and harmony. All international, regional and national actors, including UN Security Council, ASEAN and other friends of Myanmar, need to acknowledge and incorporate it in their approach, Prof Yunus said.
We would ask the UN Special Envoy to play a central role, particularly in coordinating the political efforts. I look forward to hearing from the Secretary General’s Special Envoy, Julie Biship.
Delayed repatriation has resulted in loss of human capital, both for Rohingyas and Myanmar. We should focus on the human capital of Rohingya community so that their capacity to be reintegrated in Rakhine is not lost with the course of time.
About the growing necessity of the Rohingyas, he said, we need to reach food, shelter, medicine, and education to the Rohingyas as also to the Rakhines on the other side. This is crucial to build longer term trust and create a conducive environment between two peoples to live in an undivided Rakhine State.
This is to be matched by taking creative measures towards social cohesion between Rohingya and Rakhine communities, he added.
Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya announced nearly $199 million in new assistance for Rohingya refugees and their host communities in Bangladesh and the surrounding region during a High-Level UNGA Side Event Tuesday=.
The funding package to address the ongoing Rohingya crisis includes approximately $70 million from the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) and over $129 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
A notable portion, $78 million, will be allocated through the Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Credit Corporation to purchase, ship, and distribute food sourced from American farmers to support both Rohingya refugees and local communities in Bangladesh.ct, shelter, and feed those forced to flee violence and persecution,” Zeya stated.
The new funding will also bolster disaster preparedness, enhance access to education and skills training, and prepare refugees for potential return home when conditions permit.
Since August 2017, the U.S. government has contributed over $2.5 billion to the regional response to the Rohingya crisis, with more than $2.1 billion directed specifically to Bangladesh. Of this, nearly $1.3 billion has come through PRM.
The United States continues to reaffirm its commitment to delivering vital assistance to communities affected by the crisis and urges other donors to step up their support.