Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Thursday (27 February, 2025) called for making the upcoming international conference on the Rohingya crisis a big success in an effort put the decades long humanitarian tragedy back into the world map and mobilise more support for the long persecuted Myanmar minority.
The Chief Adviser made the call when the head of the UN refugee agency, Filippo Grandi, called on him at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka.
“Let’s make it a big success and resolve the issue. Let’s hope something concrete comes out of it,” Professor Yunus said.
“There should be a road towards the future. We have to make sure their future (Rohingya people) is guaranteed,” the Chief Adviser said.
Filippo Grandi, the Commissioner of the UN High Commissioner for the Refugees, lent his support for the international meeting to be convened by the UN later this year.
“Let’s put this issue on the map. The UN Conference is a great way to put it back on the table,” Grandi said, referring to the Rohingya crisis.
“It should provide a much needed platform to build confidence of various groups in Rakhine,” he said.
“We are happy to work with you,” he said, hoping that the visit of the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to Bangladesh in mid-March would create a new momentum for the issue.
During the meeting, they stressed ways to mobilise more financial support for the million plus Rohingya refugees who live in camps in Bangladesh amid growing uncertainty over the new direction in US foreign policy.
They also discussed humanitarian situation in the Rakhine state where a major rebel group was fighting against the Myanmar forces.
They said a pause in hostilities is needed for providing humanitarian support to the people of the Western Myanmar state.
This, in turn, will create new opportunities for the sustainable return of the Rohingyas back to the Rakhine, they said.
Referring to certain humanitarian crises in Africa, Grandi said the lack of legitimacy of military dictatorships in the affected areas hampers progress.
The UNHCR Chief praised the Interim Government for stepping up its efforts to offer universal education for the Rohingya children growing up in the camps and allowing the refugees to build more durable shelters.
The Chief Adviser’s High Representative for the Rohingya issue and priority affairs, Dr. Khalilur Rahman, also attended the meeting.
He briefed Grandi on the initiatives of Bangladesh in support of the UN international conference and creating enabling conditions for the sustainable return of the Rohingyas.
