International confce on Rohingya crisis kicks off in Cox’s Bazar

Aiming to generate actionable recommendations ahead of the September 30 High-Level Conference on the Rohingya situation in New York, the Office of the High Representative for the Rohingya Issue and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs jointly kicked of the “Stakeholders’ Dialogue: Takeaway to the High-Level Conference on the Rohingya Situation” at a hotel in Cox’s Bazar on Sunday.

Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus is scheduled to attend the dialogue as the chief guest today to seek sustainable solutions for the Rohingya crisis through international cooperation and repatriation.

Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam on Sunday said Bangladesh, along with the international community, will continue to highlight the urgent need for smooth funding for the Rohingya response, noting that the three-day international conference will highlight a worsening humanitarian crisis if the necessary support is not adequately addressed.

“One of the aims of this three-day conference is to highlight the necessity of the funding,” Siam said.

The Foreign Secretary said they are reaching out to all available sources of funding and are exploring options beyond traditional donors. “We are trying to explore whether there are any funding opportunities beyond the traditional sources,” he added.

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said two more international conferences are scheduled to be held later this year in New York and Doha. The largest one will take place in the last week of September in New York.

He said Rohingya representatives, delegates from 40 countries, diplomats based in Dhaka and representatives from UN agencies will participate in the Cox’s Bazar conference.

Alam said a special discussion with Rohingya representatives will take place on August 24.

The three-day conference is highlighting issues of repatriation, funding and a comprehensive roadmap for the safe return of Rohingyas.

Around 170 countries are expected to join the high-level conference on the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar which will be organised on September 30 in New York on the sidelines of UNGA.

Disaster Management and Relief Adviser Faruk E Azam, Bir Protik, High Representative for the Rohingya Issue and National Security Adviser of Bangladesh Dr Khalilur Rahman, United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC-a.i.) Rana Flowers, Head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) Nicholas Koumjian, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar Thomas H Andrews and Assistant High Commissioner, UNHCR Raouf Mazou will also attend.

The three-day dialogue brings together a wide spectrum of participants, including diplomats, international experts, Rohingya community representatives, global organizations and academics from both home and abroad.

Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain has recently said the government is working on three fronts — uninterrupted flow of foreign funding, keeping the issue alive amid other global crises and ensuring their safe and dignified return.

“The issue should not be forgotten. We continuously bring it to focus. We are working on three fronts,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Bangladesh sought intensified humanitarian contributions for Rohingyas, stressing that the pressure on Bangladesh’s economy, environment and local communities is unsustainable.

“We are facing mounting humanitarian, developmental and security-related challenges,” Adviser Hossain said recently while speaking at the OIC Ad Hoc Ministerial Committee on Accountability for Human Rights Violations against the Rohingyas.

According to organizers, the event would place particular emphasis on amplifying the voices of Rohingya men, women and youth, enabling the international community to hear directly their aspirations, grievances and hopes for the future.

The dialogue will feature five thematic sessions covering: humanitarian support and funding challenges, current developments in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, confidence-building measures for repatriation, justice and accountability for atrocities, long-term strategies for a sustainable and time-bound solution.

The Daily Observer