UNHCR praises Bangladesh govt initiative to pursue end to Rohingya plight

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi has recently praised Bangladesh government's initiative to engage with the parties to the conflict in Rakhine State in pursuit of a solution to the Rohingya crisis.

While delivering a statement to the UN Security Council, Filippo Grandi said, “For the last eight years, for example, stagnation has defined the response in Myanmar. The fighting between the Tatmadaw and different armed groups has caused immense suffering and large-scale displacement throughout the country and the region – a situation exacerbated by the terrible earthquake that struck a month ago. 

"The plight of the Rohingya minority, in particular, has become even worse. Fighting in Rakhine State with the Arakan Army has been particularly vicious – 1.2 million Rohingya are refugees today, mostly in Bangladesh, in the camps around Cox’s Bazaar."

Filippo Grandi at this point thanked Bangladesh and its people for having provided refuge to the Rohingya people over the years. 

He continued, "But Rohingya refugees languish in the camps, without work, deprived of agency, entirely dependent on humanitarian aid, which grows ever more precarious. Half the refugee population is under the age of 18. 

"They are, to paraphrase Chief Advisor Dr Yunus, disconnected from opportunity but connected to the world through the internet. Is it any wonder that many feel compelled to embark on dangerous sea journeys in pursuit of opportunity? Or that those looking to recruit fighters find fertile soil?"

The high commissioner continued, "But there is now an opportunity to break this dangerous inertia. The interim government of Bangladesh has chosen to engage with the parties to the conflict in Rakhine State in pursuit of a solution there – where it rightly lies. 

!Many will immediately say that such a solution today is impossible for all the reasons we know: too much blood has been shed, discrimination continues, and there are too many competing interests to balance. Many will say that the root causes will never be effectively addressed, and that may well be the case."

Emphasising the need for communication, he added, "But we have been down the path of stagnation for eight years in respect of the Rohingya situation – it is a dead end. From the perspective of pursuing solutions to the Rohingya plight, and in order to start recreating conditions for the return of refugees, dialogue with all parties is a critical first step so that humanitarian agencies – including UNHCR – can reestablish their presence and resume providing desperately needed humanitarian relief – safely and freely."

Urging the need for a solution, Filippo Grandi said, "That, in turn, would provide a basis on which to restart discussions on the eventual return of displaced Rohingya – I stress: voluntarily, in safety and dignity – once the security situation in Rakhine allows, and from where other legal rights could also be pursued. 

"It is a long shot, for sure, but I urge you to think out of the box and take some risks. I hope the Council will continue to focus robustly on the situation in Myanmar – including the plight of the Rohingya, and I look forward to the conference planned for September here in New York."