United Nations, October 1 (IPS) – The International Community convened For a high-level meeting at the UN headquarters, this time to mobilize political support for the continuous issue of prosecution of the Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar.
On Tuesday, September 30, representatives of Rohingya Advocacy Groups, the UN system and the Member States met during the General Assembly to take on the continuous challenges with which Rohingya Muslims are confronted and the broader context of the political and humanitarian situation in Myanmar.
UN President of the General Meeting Analena Baerbock noted that the conference was a chance to listen to stakeholders, in particular representatives of civil society with on -site experience.
“Rohingya needs the support of the international community, not only in words, but also in action,” she said.
Baerbock added that there was an “urgent need for reinforced international solidarity and increased support” and to make efforts to achieve a political solution with unambiguous participation of the Rohingyas.
“The violence, the extreme hardship and the massive violations of human rights have fueled a crisis of serious international concern. The international community must honor its responsibilities and actions. We are in solidarity with the Rohingya and all myanmar people in their hour of the greatest need,” said UN Menissen commissioner.
In the eight years since more than 750,000 Rohingyas, the persecution fled and crossed the border to Bangladesh, the international community has had to deal with one of the most intense refugee situations in life. Participants in the conference spoke about tackling the random causes that led to this long -term crisis – systematic oppression and persecution by the authorities of Myanmar and unrest in the state of Rakhine.
The ascension of the military junta in 2021 only led to further unrest and instability in Myanmar and has made the chance of safe and sustainable return much more precarious. Their persecution is only intensified because the Rohingya communities are still living in Rakhine, are being trapped in the middle of conflicts between the Junta and other militant groups, including the Arakan army.
At the opening of the conference, Rohingya refugee activists noted that the systemic oppression dates from before the current crisis. “This is a historical opportunity for Myanmar. But it is much too late. Our people have suffered enough. For ethnic minorities – from Kachin to Rohingya – has tense for decades,” Wai Wai now, founder and executive director of the Peace Network of the women.
“It has been more than eight years since the Rohingya genocide was exposed. Where is the righteousness for the Rohingyas?” asked Maung Sawyeddollah, founder of the Rohingya Student Network.
For the United Nations, the Rohingya refugee crisis represents the dramatic impact of financing shortages on their humanitarian operations. UN Secretary General António Guterres once said during his visit to the refugee camps in Bangladesh in April that “Cox’s Bazar Grond is zero for the impact of cuts on the budget”.
Financing cuts on agencies such as UNICEF and the World Food Program (WFP) have undermined their ability to reach people in need. WFP has warned that their food aid in the refugee camps will be used up in two months, unless they receive more financing. But from now on, the 2025 Rohingya Refugee Response Plan Of USD 934.5 million, only 38 percent are financed.
“The humanitarian response in Bangladesh remains chronically underfunded, including in key areas like food and cooking fuel. The prospects for funding next year are grim. Unless further resources are forthcoming, despite the needs, we will be forced to make more cuts while striving to minimize the Risk of Losing Lives: Children Dying of Malnutrition or People Dying at Sea As More Refugees Embark on Dangerous Boat Journeys, ”Said Filippo Grandi, Un High Commissioner for Refugees.
As a host country of more than 1 million refugees since 2017, Bangladesh has borne the victims of the situation. Chief advisor Muhammad Yunus said that the country is confronted with his own development challenges and systemic problems with crime, poverty and unemployment, and has difficulty supporting the refugee population, even with the help of aid organizations. He called to pursue repatriations, the strategy to guarantee the safe return from Rohingyas to Rakhine.
“As the financing decreases, the only peaceful option is to start their repatriation. This will entail far fewer resources than their international protection. The Rohingya has consistently expressed their wish to go back home,” said Yunus. “The world can no longer let the Rohingya wait to return home.”
Together with the UN, Myanmar and Bangladesh, neighboring countries and host countries also play a role. Regional blocks such as the Association of Southeast Asian countries (ASEAN) are also crucial in supporting the Rohingya population and leading dialogues with other stakeholders in the region.
“In my engagement with myanmar stakeholders, I emphasized that peace will remain elusive in Myanmar until inclusive dialogue takes place between all stakeholders of Myanmar,” said Othman Hashim, the special envoy of the Asean chairman on Myanmar. “For actions within Myanmar, the crucial first step is to stop hostilities and violence. Long -term violence will only make the misery worse of the people of Myanmar, Rohingya and other minorities.”
“Countries that organize refugees need support. Cooperation with Unodc [UN Office of Drugs and Crime]UNHCR and IOM [International Organization for Migration] Must be deepened, “Sugiono said, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia.
Support for the Rohingya outside emergency situations and humanitarian needs would also require that resources are invested in educational and employment opportunities. The parties involved were encouraged to support resistance policy that would help communities to secure the long -term resources, or to extend opportunities for long -term work, such as in Thailand, where they Recently granted Long temporary refugees the right to work legally in the country.
“Every initiative for the Rohingya without Rohingya in the camp, from decision -making to building nation is untenable and unjust. The UN must mobilize resources to empower Rohingya. We are not only victims; we have the potential to make a difference,” said Sawyeddollah.
As one of the few Rohingya representatives who had previously lived in the camps in Cox’s Bazaar, Sawyeddollah described the challenges with which he was confronted with higher education when he applied for more than 150 universities worldwide but did not come in. He went to New York University with a fair, the first Rohingya refugee that was present. He repeated that universities had the capacity to offer trade fairs to Rohingya students, referring to the example of the Asian University of Women (Wady) In Chittagong, Bangladesh, where it has been offering fairs to Rohingya Girls since at least 2018.
The conference called for usable measures that would tackle various important areas in the Rohingya refugee situation. This includes scaling up financing for humanitarian aid in Bangladesh and Myanmar, and in particular the pursuit of justice and accountability under international law. Türk and other UN officials repeated that solving instability and political tensions in Myanmar is crucial to resolve the refugee crisis.
KYAW MOE TUN, permanent representative of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar at the UN, blamed the military junta of the current state of the country and called on the member states to support the Junta politics or financially. “We can only produce results by acting together to put an end to the military dictatorship, the illegal coup and the culture of impunity. At a time when human rights, justice and humanity are being attacked, please help in our real aim to build a federal democratic union that roots in these very principles.”
IPS a desk report
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