ZCZC
BSS-45
UN-BANGLADESH-ROHINGYA
UN to continue stand with Bangladesh addressing Rohingya crisis: SG
DHAKA, Jan 31, 2021 (BSS) – UN Secretary-General (SG) Antonio Guterres has reaffirmed that the United Nations (UN) will continue to stand with Bangladesh and mobilize international support to collectively address the Rohingya crisis.
He also assured that the UN has renewed its advocacy and support in the Rakhine state and would continue to engage with Myanmar towards creating a conducive environment for sustainable return of the Rohingyas.
Guterres said this in a recent letter to foreign minister Dr. AK Abdul Momen where he expressed deep gratitude to Bangladesh for hosting the Rohingya population who fled atrocities and persecution in Myanmar, a foreign ministry press release said here today.
Through the office of the Special Envoy and other UN mechanisms, the UN would continue to work for full implementation of the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State to find a durable solution to the crisis, the Secretary-General said.
He thanked Bangladesh government for supporting mandate of his office and sought Bangladesh’s continued cooperation with his Special Envoy on Myanmar to mobilize further international assistance towards a durable solution to the Rohingya crisis.
The Secretary-General has sent the letter in response to Dr. Momen’s new year message to him where the foreign minister stressed, among others, a more robust and active role of the UN for the commencement of Rohingya repatriation and a lasting resolution to the crisis.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar district and most of them arrived there since August 25, 2017 after a military crackdown by Myanmar, which the UN called a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” and “genocide” by other rights groups.
In last three years, Myanmar did not take back a single Rohingya while the attempts of repatriation failed twice due to mistrust among the Rohingyas about their safety and security in the Rakhine state.
BSS/TA/SKB/2025 hrs