Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has set out a seven-point plan to tackle the protracted Rohingya refugee crisis.
Speaking at a three-day international conference in Cox’s Bazar on Monday, Yunus urged the international community to step up efforts to ensure justice, repatriation and stability for Myanmar’s forcibly displaced minority, according to state news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).
“It is not only the responsibility of Bangladesh, but also of the international community to share the burden of the Rohingya crisis, to reflect on the possible solutions, and play an active role in implementing those,” he is quoted as saying by BSS.
The plan calls for securing the right of the Rohingya to return to Myanmar, sustained donor funding for humanitarian aid, an immediate halt to violence in Rakhine, and dialogue among ethnic groups.
It also presses for stronger regional and ASEAN involvement, tougher action against cross-border crime, and accountability for crimes committed against the Rohingya through international courts.
The conference, titled “Stakeholders’ Dialogue: Takeaways to the High-Level Conference on Rohingya Situation”, aims to engage global stakeholders to find solutions to the prolonged Rohingya crisis.
Yunus also inaugurated the main session of the event.
To ensure a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis, his proposals include:
• Formulating a practical roadmap for the speedy, safe, dignified, and sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas.
• Ensuring continued support from donors.
• Calling on the Myanmar authorities and the Arakan Army to guarantee the security and livelihoods of the Rohingyas.
• Engaging in constructive dialogue with the Rohingyas and restoring their rights.
• Active involvement of the international community, including ASEAN.
• Taking a firm stand against genocide.
• Expediting accountability processes in international courts.
Enlarging on the plan, the chief advisor said the Rohingya people’s deep connection to their homeland cannot be severed and emphasised that their right to return must be secured.
“Therefore, we urge all parties and partners to work hard for charting a practical roadmap for their speedy, safe, dignified, voluntary and sustainable return to their homes in Rakhine as soon as possible. We must not be held hostage to mere rhetoric. The time for action is now,” he said.
Recalling that nearly 800,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in just weeks in 2017, Yunus said persecution still continues, driving new arrivals daily.
“On the eighth Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day, with a heavy heart, I draw your attention to the forced displacement of Rohingya and their exodus to Bangladesh from Myanmar. It will be a historic blunder if we wait for seeing the very last Rohingya leaving Rakhine. We cannot let it happen,” he added.
He also referred to UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ visit to Cox’s Bazar earlier this year, when he fasted during Ramadan and broke his fast with thousands of Rohingya. “[At that time] we clearly heard their strong desire to return home as soon as possible,” Yunus said.
Recalling the three-point proposal he made at last year’s UN General Assembly, Yunus said that call paved the way for this year’s high-level conference in New York on Sept 30.
“I hope that this dialogue here in Cox’s Bazar will contribute substantively to the conference in New York in shaping the roadmap for an expedited and permanent solution of the Rohingya crisis,” he said.
He reminded delegates that Bangladesh had opened its borders to Rohingya out of humanity, despite limited resources. The country now hosts 1.3 million refugees, with the Kutapalong settlement in Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya now being the world’s largest refugee camp. Around 32,000 babies are born there every year, while fewer than half a million Rohingya remain in Myanmar, pointing to the continuing persecution of the minority, according to Yunus.
Over the past eight years, the people of Bangladesh, especially the host communities in Cox’s Bazar, have made enormous sacrifices, he said.
Seeking global support to resolve the crisis, he added: “We don’t foresee any scope whatsoever for further mobilisation of resources from our domestic resources, given our own challenges. Rohingya issue and its sustainable resolution must be kept alive on the global agenda as they need our support until they return home.”
“We cannot mobilise further domestic resources given our own challenges. The Rohingya issue must stay alive on the global agenda until their safe return.”
“This crisis began in Myanmar, and the solution also lies there. All parties must act with urgency,” he said.
Addressing the Rohingya directly, he added: “Bangladesh is working tirelessly for a sustainable solution. This dialogue aims to amplify your voices and lay out a roadmap for voluntary, dignified return.”
In an appeal to the international community, he said: “Let’s all join our hands and pronounce our determination to contribute to their dignified return, ensuring justice and accountability.”
