Int’l conference In Sept: Dhaka wants timeline for return of Rohingyas from world community

Bangladesh has urged the international community to give a roadmap of ‘practical and time-bound outcomes’ from the high-level conference on Rohingya to be held in September this year in New York.

Bangladesh also called to assume its collective responsibility in ensuring the safe, dignified and voluntary repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas to their homeland in Myanmar.

“It is the collective duty of the international community to ensure that the rights and dignity of the Rohingya are upheld and the conditions conducive to their return are expeditiously created in Rakhine,” said Ambassador Tareq Md Ariful Islam, Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva.

The ambassador made the remark while addressing the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council during the adoption of a resolution titled “The Situation of Human Rights of the Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar”, led by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Friday, according to a Foreign Ministry.

Ambassador Islam reaffirmed Bangladesh’s unwavering commitment to work constructively with all partners to find a comprehensive and lasting solution to the protracted Rohingya crisis through safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable repatriation.

In his statement, the envoy expressed deep concern over the ongoing violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, stating that Myanmar’s military forces and armed groups, including the Arakan Army, continue to perpetrate violence, block humanitarian access, and exacerbate the suffering of the Rohingya people.

He informed the Council that since November 2023, nearly 118,000 Rohingyas have fled from Rakhine into Bangladesh to escape killings, persecution and unrest.

Bangladesh also emphasized the need for concrete and time-bound outcomes from the upcoming High-Level Conference on the Rohingya issue, scheduled to be held in September this year in New York.

The resolution adopted by the Council voiced serious concern over the declining humanitarian assistance for the Rohingyas and called for equitable burden- and responsibility-sharing by the international community to support the refugees sheltered in Bangladesh.

It further urged the provision of unhindered and adequate humanitarian assistance within Rakhine by the United Nations and all relevant humanitarian actors.

The resolution reiterated the importance of ensuring accountability to end the prevailing culture of impunity in Rakhine.