Reviewing rohingya crisis: Hold conference of all stakeholders soon

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has proposed the UN secretary general convene an all stakeholders’ conference on the Rohingya crisis at the soonest possible time, warning it could pose a threat to the entire region, beyond just Bangladesh.
“The conference should review the overall situation of the crisis and suggest innovative and forward looking ways out,” he said.
Yunus was speaking at a high-level discussion on the Rohingya crisis on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
Bangladesh, Indonesia, The Gambia, Turkey, the UK, the US and European Union jointly hosted the event.
The chief adviser said the Joint Response Plan, managed jointly by the UN System and Bangladesh, needs to be energised and the resource raising mechanism needs further political push in view of the sliding funding situation.
Bangladesh had been hosting 1.2 million Rohingyas from Myanmar for years. Over the last two months, another 20,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh amid fighting between the Myanmar junta and Arakan Army.
“We are concerned over the deteriorating security situation and instability in the bordering region, including sporadic group fighting and criminal activities,” Yunus said, adding that Bangladesh’s law enforcement agencies have so far been able to maintain peace in the Rohingya camps.
“So, the crisis in Rakhine State merits careful revisit,” the Nobel laureate said.
Creating an inclusive society in Myanmar is key where all ethnic communities can live in peace and harmony. All international, regional and national actors need to incorporate it in their approach, he said.
“We need to reach food, shelter, medicine and education to the Rohingya and also to the Rakhines on the other side,” he said, stressing on creative measures towards social cohesion between the Rohingya and the Rakhine communities.
Yunus said the international community should seriously support the justice and accountability mechanism to address genocidal crimes committed against the Rohingya. “Otherwise, it might put the entire region in trouble, not just Bangladesh.”
UN refugee agency (UNHCR) chief Filippo Grandi said the international community must strive to end the Rohingya people’s discrimination, statelessness and exile.
Amy Pope, director general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said the Rohingya people must not be forgotten, reports UNB.
“We must do more and continue to provide much needed assistance and long-term solutions,” she said.
Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, ICC Prosecutor Karim AA Khan, 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.
US TO PROVIDE $199 MILLION
US under secretary of state for civilian security, democracy, and human rights, Uzra Zeya, on Tuesday announced nearly $199 million in new assistance for Rohingya and their hosting communities 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.
The US provided more than $2.5 billion for the regional Rohingya response since August 2017, including more than $2.1 billion in Bangladesh.