Irene Khan reiterates PM’s appeal in resolving Rohingya crisis
Bangladesh Permanent Representative and Ambassador to UN Irene Khan has retreated Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's call for greater international action to resolve the Rohingya crisis and enable the safe return of more than 1.2 million forcibly displaced people to Myanmar.
In his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, the Prime Minister called for political action to end the prolonged Rohingya crisis while he proposed a roadmap for voluntary and safe repatriation to Myanmar and more humanitarian support for the displaced people.
"What is really failing is the international commitment to, first of all, assist these 1.2 million Rohingyas and, secondly, support the Bangladesh government during a very difficult time in the country. And thirdly, to find a solution for the people," Irene Khan told BBC World Service in an interview from New York.
Asked whether the international response was failing the Rohingyas as funding declined and global attention shifted elsewhere, Irene Khan said the failure lay in the lack of commitment to help the refugees, support Bangladesh and find a solution.
Irene described the Rohingyas in Bangladesh as the largest displaced people's caseload in the world now and said they were living in crowded camps in a heavily populated country.
"Aid is badly needed, but the aid is shrinking. Humanitarian aid is shrinking at this time," she said.
The Rohingyas have lived in the camps for nine years, Irene said, with children growing up there and about 30,000 babies born in the camps each year.
"Where do they go? Nine years is a long time to stay in a camp," she said.
Irene Khan said this was why the Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had appealed to the international community, the UN and interested parties both within and beyond the region to secure a solution.
"The problem of the Rohingyas, the source is inside Myanmar, and we believe that the solution also lies there," she said.
The Rohingyas were keen to return home, she added, but wanted to do so "in safety and dignity".
Asked what concrete commitments Bangladesh wanted, Irene Khan called for the UN and the international community to bring all stakeholders to the table.
She named Bangladesh, Myanmar, other countries in the region affected by the crisis, and countries that could influence Myanmar or provide resources.
"What we want is a political process where the Myanmar government will be reminded of its responsibilities, its legal responsibilities to take back its people, but also assistance inside Myanmar that could make it safe for people to return," she said.
In response to a question about the UN's ability to address major crises, Irene said member states needed to take greater responsibility, particularly those with veto power on the Security Council.
"We really need those governments to work better together," she said, adding that Bangladesh and the vast majority of countries believed in multilateralism and in resolving global problems through diplomacy and dialogue.
At the UNGA sideline, on September 23, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman proposed five urgent measures to resolve Rohingya crisis, with a call to the global stakeholders for establishing a clear and credible roadmap for the early, safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas, saying the time has come to move from managing displacement to ending it.
"The time has come to move from empathy to a search for root causes and their solutions, from promises to action and from managing displacement to ending it," he said while addressing a high-level side event on 'The Rohingya Crisis: A Renewed Call for a Durable Solution from Protracted Displacement, with Justice and Accountability' at the UN headquarters.
The five proposals include establishing a clear and credible roadmap for the early, safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas to Myanmar; ending violence against civilians, including the Rohingyas and guaranteeing their fundamental rights and security; ensuring adequate and predictable humanitarian support for the Rohingyas and host communities; strengthening justice and accountability and stepping up regional and international cooperation to combat the narco-economy, human trafficking, digital scams, illegal arms and other transboundary crimes.
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