Rohingya crisis: Yunus seeks global attention, shares 3 proposals

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus yesterday sought the international community's continuous focus on the Rohingya crisis and warned that the whole region, not just Bangladesh, could be in trouble otherwise.

"We must pay attention," he said while speaking at a high-level discussion on the Rohingya crisis held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly yesterday afternoon in New York.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, ICC Prosecutor Karim AA Khan, IOM Director General Amy Pope, Principal Coordinator on SDGs Affairs Lamiya Morshed, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam and CA's Special Assistant Mahfuj Alam, among others, spoke at the event.

The chief adviser proposed that the international community revisit its approach to the Rohingya crisis.

He said the UN secretary general may convene an all stakeholders' conference on the Rohingya crisis as soon as possible.

The conference should review the overall situation of the crisis and suggest innovative and forward looking way outs, he said.

Secondly, Yunus said, the Joint Response Plan, managed jointly by the UN System and Bangladesh, needs to be energised.

The resource raising mechanism needs further political push in view of the sliding funding situation, he said.

In his third proposal, Prof Yunus said the international community should seriously support the justice and accountability mechanism to address genocidal crimes committed against the Rohingya community.

Eventually, the chief adviser said redressing the injustice that has been perpetrated by the military junta in Myanmar is the key to long term peace and security.

"Honoured to take part in the discussion on Rohingya refugees led by the chief adviser of Bangladesh. This is a yearly UNGA event but Dr Yunus' presence and vision meant that it wasn't business as usual," said the UNHCR chief.

He said they must strive to end the Rohingya people's discrimination, statelessness and exile.

"It was a very successful meeting. Everyone appreciated Bangladesh's efforts and reiterated their continuous support," Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters on Tuesday night.

Additional Foreign Secretary Riaz Hamidullah, Deputy Press Secretaries Abul Kalam Azad Majumdar and Apurba Jahangir were also present.

Speaking at the event, IOM DG Amy Pope said the Rohingya people must not be forgotten.

"We must do more and continue to provide much needed assistance and long-term solutions," she said.

At UNGA, IOM DG said they reaffirm their commitment to doing everything possible to achieve this goal.

As UNGA's high-level general debate took place in New York, some of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh sent a message for world leaders gathered here, "Don't let us down."

Rohingya refugees cannot be forgotten, they said in a video message.

While participating in the high-level UNGA side event on the Rohingya crisis, US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya announced nearly $199 million in new assistance for Rohingya refugees and communities hosting them in Bangladesh and the region.

This funding includes nearly $70 million through the Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) and over $129 million from USAID, $78 million of which comes from the Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation which will help USAID to purchase, ship, and distribute food from American farmers to Rohingya refugees and host community members in Bangladesh.

This US assistance will save lives and help protect, shelter, and feed those forced to flee violence and persecution.

Additionally, it will be used to: support disaster preparedness and protection for refugees and host communities; bolster access to education and skills training; and prepare refugees for their potential return home when conditions allow.

The US government has provided more than $2.5 billion for the regional Rohingya response since August 2017, including more than $2.1 billion in Bangladesh, of which nearly $1.3 billion was contributed through PRM.

The United States remains committed to delivering assistance to crisis-affected communities in Bangladesh and the region and calls on other donors to continue their support.

In August 2017, armed attacks, massive scale violence, and serious human rights violations forced thousands of Rohingya to flee their homes in Myanmar's Rakhine State.

Many walked for days through jungles and undertook dangerous sea journeys across the Bay of Bengal to reach safety in Bangladesh.

Now, nearly 1 million people have found safety in Bangladesh with a majority living in the Cox Bazar's region - home to the world's largest refugee camp.

The United Nations has described the Rohingya as "the most persecuted minority in the world."