Guterres to urge more humanitarian assistance for Rohingyas

Foreign Adviser Tauhid Hossain called on UN chief Antonio Guterres on Thursday in Dhaka.

Dhaka, March 14 - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who will visit the Rohingya camp together with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Friday afternoon, will "issue a call" to the international community to step up their humanitarian assistance for these men, women and children who have already suffered so much.

He will share an Iftar with the refugees, to be hosted by Dr Yunus.

A million Rohingyas will break fast in their camps in Cox's Bazar with Guterres and Chief Adviser Dr Yunus.

"Every Ramadan, I spend time with Muslim communities living in difficult circumstances, to observe the fast with them and help shine a spotlight on their plight. This year I’m in Bangladesh to express my solidarity with Rohingya refugees and the Bangladeshi people hosting them," Guterres said on his Ramadan solidarity visit.

Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain and

High Representative of Chief Advisor on Rohingya Issue and Priority Matters Dr Khalilur Rahman met with the UN chief at Hotel InterContinental on Friday morning and discussed the issues related to the Rohingya crisis.

The UN chief will have a bilateral meeting with the chief adviser shortly and they are scheduled to leave Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for Cox’s Bazar by a chartered Biman Bangladesh flight at 11:15am today (Friday), a senior official told UNB.

Guterres arrived in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon with a packed schedule for Friday and Saturday, featuring a series of meetings and greater engagements in Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camp, before his departure on Sunday morning.

Guterres and Dr Yunus will meet there with Rohingya refugees who have been forcibly displaced from their homes in Myanmar.

They will meet with the host Bangladeshi communities who have been so generous in hosting them.

On Saturday in Dhaka, the secretary-general will meet with youth and representatives from civil society, said an official at the UN office in Dhaka.

He will also have a joint press conference with the Foreign Adviser Hossain on Saturday afternoon.

And we will update you on all of the secretary-general’s activities.

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Thursday said Guterres, who is now in city on a four-day Ramadan solidarity visit, will give the Rohingya community a message of hope that they will be able to return to their homeland soon in dignity and with safety, and that all of their rights will be fully established and respected.

"We would also urge that the Secretary General will invest his exceptional leadership to make progress toward the objective of their early repatriation and ensure that international aid to Rohingyas are not adversely affected," Alam said while responding to some queries that he received from the media.

Regarding contact with Arakan Army, the Press Secretary said considering the newly emerged situation in the Rakhine state, they ought to act and safeguard their border security, stability and peace.

"Therefore, we are keeping operational contact with the actors on the other side of the border," Alam said.

He said the solution of the Rohingya issue lies in sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas back to Myanmar.

This should be the highest priority of the international community, Alam said, adding that Bangladesh is relentlessly working toward this objective.

Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees for long eight years.

In recent months. around 80,000 more Rohingyas have entered Bangladesh.

"It is beyond the capacity of Bangladesh to continue to host the forcibly displaced Rohingyas," Alam said.

He said the international support for Rohingyas has taken a turn for the worse, leading to the decision to cut the daily food ration for the Rohingyas.

"This will severely affect their nutritional status, particularly women and children. It will also have serious social and security implications, including safety and security within the camps and in the host community," Alam said.

He said they reiterate Bangladesh's appeal to all donors and the UN system to ensure that the assistance to Rohingyas is given high priority and aid to them does not diminish.

In light of the dire humanitarian situation in Rakhine State, the press secretary said, Bangladesh will positively consider supporting UN-led humanitarian assistance to the state. - UNB