TDS Desk:

A three-day stakeholders’ dialogue on the Rohingya crisis concluded in Cox’s Bazar with a call  for uninterrupted funding to prevent further humanitarian disaster until the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar.

Diplomats stationed in Dhaka, representatives of the international organisations, political leaders and experts visited the WFP’s food distribution outlet and witnessed the activities of the UN Refugee Agency- UNHCR and Friendship Hospital at three different locations of the Rohingya camps.

“The Rohingya population is gradually growing with newborns while the funding is declining,” Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder told reporters at the Rohingya camps, highlighting the importance of uninterrupted flow of funding for the Rohingyas to avoid any further humanitarian crisis for lack of funding.

Not just for the Rohingyas, Azad said, it will be very difficult for everyone working at the camps if the funding issues are not addressed.

As of today, the funding of the Joint Response Plan stands at approximately 60%.

Eight long years have passed since 700,000 Rohingya were compelled to flee Myanmar to Bangladesh, pushed by unspeakable violence and human rights violations in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. They are presently over 1.3 million in Bangladesh.

In a world where the right of asylum is sometimes questioned, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations Raouf Mazou said Bangladesh’s response has been remarkable, with local populations welcoming those in desperate need despite the difficult circumstances in which they sometimes find themselves.

The international community has played its role, providing hundreds of millions of dollars to respond to the humanitarian needs of refugees in Cox’s Bazar and in Bhasan Char.

“However, as the situation has prolonged, and the number of forcibly displaced has continued to increase around the world, reaching 120 million by the end of 2024, it has become increasingly difficult to mobilise the resources required,” said Mazou.

“While the continued provision of food assistance could be secured until December the availability of LPG beyond September is uncertain. Services such as education and health have already been reduced,” he said.

There are an estimated 3.5 million internally displaced persons in Myanmar, and in the past 18 months alone, 150,000 more Rohingya have fled targeted violence to Bangladesh.

“We need more innovative approaches that accommodate the need for refugees to retain their ability to play an active role in the reconstruction of their country while not creating conditions that would make the eventual return elusive,” he said.

POLITICAL LEADERS’ VOICES

Participating in a session with the representatives of political parties on Monday night, BNP Chairperson’s Adviser Ismail Jabiullah alleged that the Rohingya crisis had become more complicated due to the failure of Sheikh Hasina’s government in 2017.

He said no solution is possible without the active participation of Myanmar.

“If the BNP comes to power, it will be committed to resolving the Rohingya issue with the cooperation of the international community,” said the BNP leader, adding that the Rohingya crisis put a heavy economic and social burden on Bangladesh which must be resolved by Myanmar with active international involvement.

“I was the first camp-in-charge of Kutupalong camp in 1978 and worked alongside my Rohingya friends. The problem originated in Myanmar and has to be settled with their initiative,” he said.

Secretary General of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Mia Golam Porwar, AB Party leader Asaduzzaman Bhuiyan Fuad, Gono Odhikar Parishad’s General Secretary Md Rashed Khan and National Citizen Party leader Akhter Hossen, among others, spoke at the session.

“We want to see the action of China, India, the USA, the UK, the UN and all the International communities against the Myanmar Janta government,” Rashed said.

“If all the international community imposes sanctions on Myanmar, they will be bound to take Rohingyas back to their motherland,” he said.

“History will judge us not by our speeches, but by our actions. Let us stand united, let us stand for justice, let us stand for the Rohingya,” Rashed mentioned.

Jamaat leader Golam Porwar said his party will remain firm in supporting humanitarian assistance, justice and a sustainable solution for the Rohingya crisis.

Akhter Hossen expressed solidarity with the Rohingya brothers and sisters saying, “We want justice for the Rohingyas. They must be given food, education and basic rights until their safe return to Myanmar is ensured.”