Global focus on Rohingya crisis to return through UN chief's visit: Govt

The interim government today (12 March) said UN Secretary-General António Guterres' scheduled visit from 13-16 March would help redouble global efforts to find an early solution to the Rohingya crisis, bringing the crisis to global attention again.

"This is an important visit for Bangladesh. We firmly believe that the visit will help bring the crisis to the global spotlight. We expect the UN chief will give a good message to that end," Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters at a media briefing at Foreign Service Academy ahead of the UN chief's second visit to Bangladesh.

Alam said the interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus from the very beginning is working to ensure that the Rohingya crisis comes to the global map again despite there being other global crises.

"The government wants to make sure that the global focus is there," he said, adding that the chief adviser is highlighting the Rohingya crisis with the international dignitaries.

The Press Secretary said the government wants early resolution of the Rohingya crisis so that they can return to their place of origin in Myanmar's Rakhine State with safety and dignity. "It is a top priority of the interim government."

Alam said the UN chief, who is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka at 5:00pm tomorrow, will have a bilateral meeting with Yunus on Friday morning before they together travel to Cox's Bazar to visit the Rohingya camp.

He said the humanitarian aid for the Rohingyas declined sharply and hoped that the visit will help find some ways to address the issue and efforts will be redoubled to mobilise aid for the Rohingyas. "We do no not want to see any disruption of funds flow. We do no not want to see their nutritional needs compromised."

Without urgent new funding, monthly rations must be halved to $6 per person, down from $12.50 per person – just as refugees prepare to observe Eid, marking the end of Ramadan, said the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) recently.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned of a critical funding shortfall for its emergency response operations in Bangladesh, jeopardising food assistance for over one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

All Rohingyas receive vouchers that are redeemed for their choice of food at designated retailers in the camps. To sustain full rations, WFP urgently requires $15 million for April, and $81 million until the end of 2025.

Alam said the visit will also be helpful for mobilizing global support ahead of the UN international conference on the Rohingya crisis to be held in September. He said Finland and Malaysia have also joined as co-sponsors of the event.

Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder said the UN chief will have two working days, mainly on Friday and Saturday, though he arrives tomorrow.

Sharing their engagements in the Rohingya camp, Azad said they expect 1 lakh Rohingya people will join iftar with the chief adviser and UN chief together.

Guterres and Yunus will also take part in an Iftar meal with refugees and members of the Bangladeshi host community, recognising the generosity of Bangladesh in sheltering nearly one million Rohingya who fled persecution and violence in Myanmar.

The chief adviser will leave Dhaka for Cox's Bazar on Friday morning (14 March) and return to Dhaka in the evening (same day), Azad said.

As part of his annual Ramadan solidarity visit, Guterres will also meet young representatives from civil society.

The secretary-general has made solidarity visits an annual tradition, beginning during his decade-long tenure as UN High Commissioner for Refugees, when he regularly observed Ramadan alongside displaced and marginalised communities.

"Every Ramadan, I undertake a solidarity visit and fast with a Muslim community around the globe. These missions remind the world of the true face of Islam," Guterres said in his message.

"Ramadan embodies the values of compassion, empathy and generosity. It is an opportunity to reconnect with family and community…and I always come away even more inspired by the remarkable sense of peace that fills this season," he added.

UN chief Guterres, in a recent letter to Yunus, expressed the hope that the high-level conference on Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar will renew global focus and help develop broader solutions for their plight.

The United Nations will continue to mobilise the international community to support Bangladesh as a host to the Rohingya, Guterres said.

"I will continue to exercise my good offices, including through my Special Envoy on the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, to work closely with regional actors, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and other stakeholders, towards a political solution to the crisis in Myanmar, including creating conditions conducive to the safe and voluntary return of the Rohingya to Rakhine," he wrote.

The UN chief has requested his senior managers to provide guidance to the United Nations Country Teams in Bangladesh and Myanmar on how they can maximize humanitarian aid and livelihood support to communities in Rakhine.

The United Nations will prioritise engagement on this issue, including through the Emergency Relief Coordinator and the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, in Myanmar, to enable safe, rapid, sustained and unhindered humanitarian access to those in need in Rakhine and throughout Myanmar."

"We await the agreed outcomes and plans for the conference, following Member State consultations, to understand how the United Nations system can best support the process."

He thanked Yunus for his letter, dated 4 February, which was shared with him by High Representative for the Rohingya Crisis and Priority Affairs Khalilur Rahman during their meeting on 7 February.

The UN chief also reiterated the strong solidarity of the United Nations with Bangladesh and their support for the transition process under Dr Yunus' leadership.

He said he shared Bangladesh's concerns regarding the impact of the Rohingya crisis on Bangladesh and the region, as well as the worsening humanitarian situation in Rakhine.