The UN General Assembly on Wednesday unanimously adopted the first-ever Rohingya resolution entitled ‘Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minority communities in Myanmar’ at the UN headquarters in New York, which was co-sponsored by 109 countries, the highest ever.
This information was informed in a press release of Rabab Fatima, the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations on Thursday.
The resolution mainly focuses on the human rights situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minority communities in Myanmar, which has further deteriorated in the current political climate. It calls for finding the root cause of the Rohingya problem, creating an appropriate environment for a spontaneous, safe and sustainable return to Rakhine State and providing full cooperation to all UN human rights organizations, including the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy to Myanmar.
In particular, it emphasizes the speedy implementation of the 5-point recommendations unanimously adopted by ASEAN.
The resolution also called for vigilance on the ongoing prosecution and accountability process. It welcomed the newly appointed UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Myanmar and laid out an action plan for him involving Myanmar.
The resolution further referred to the renewal and effective implementation of the Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding signed between Myanmar, UNHCR and UNDP to create an enabling environment for the return of displaced Rohingya in Rakhine State.
Rabab Fatima said, “Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opened the border of Bangladesh for displaced Rohingyas in 2017 for humanitarian reasons. But it is unfortunate that Myanmar’s failure to create an enabling environment for the spontaneous, safe and sustainable return of Rohingyas has created long-term problems in Bangladesh.”
According to the press wing of the Bangladesh Mission to the United Nations in New York, the resolution appreciated the generosity and humanity shown by Bangladesh in providing shelter and humanitarian assistance to the displaced Rohingya and including them in the national Covid-19 vaccination programme.
The proposal also recognizes the Bangladesh government’s efforts and investment in building infrastructure and other facilities for the relocation of a section of Rohingya from the overcrowded refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar to Bashanchar. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Bangladesh and the United Nations Human Rights Commission in this regard is welcomed.
This UN resolution is a unique example of regional and international solidarity towards Rohingya Muslims. It is of great concern that the situation in Myanmar continues to deteriorate, delaying the repatriation of the Rohingya. In this context, the resolution provides an impetus to strengthen the collective efforts of UN member states to find a durable solution to the Rohingya problem.
