In the third committee of the United Nations General Assembly, a resolution entitled ‘The human rights situation of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims and other minority communities’ was unanimously adopted on Wednesday (November 15) night. The proposal was jointly proposed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the European Union (EU).
The Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations said in a press release that 114 countries have co-sponsored the resolution, which is the highest so far. Some very important things have come up in it. It lauded the Bangladesh government’s generosity and humanitarian assistance in providing shelter to more than 1.2 million Rohingya. Special thanks are extended to the Government of Bangladesh for the Bhasan Char project.
The adopted resolution cited the deteriorating political situation in Myanmar. The resolution calls on Myanmar to uncover the root causes of the Rohingya crisis and create an enabling environment in Rakhine for the voluntary, safe and dignified return of the Rohingya to Myanmar.
According to the Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the United Nations, the resolution asks members of the General Assembly to demand an end to all forms of violence in Myanmar. It called for the speedy implementation of ASEAN’s five-point consensus to accelerate the repatriation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh to Myanmar. The progress of the case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice and the investigation by the International Criminal Court Counsel have been welcomed. Above all, this resolution strongly calls for UN member states to continue humanitarian assistance to the Rohingyas in Bangladesh under the principle of ‘responsibility and burden sharing’.
After the proposal was accepted, the representative of the Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the United Nations said, “Bangladesh is a small country.” There is no chance of long-term presence of Rohingyas in our territory. They must go back to their motherland Myanmar.’
The Bangladesh Permanent Mission representative emphasized the need for adequate funding from international partners until the Rohingyas are repatriated to Myanmar. In his speech, he called for continued support to the international community including ASEAN.
According to the Bangladesh Permanent Mission, in view of the various ongoing global conflicts, the co-sponsorship of numerous UN member states in the resolution indicates a unique success. It is a strong message of global solidarity in dealing with the Rohingya crisis.
After the resolution was adopted, the representative of the Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the United Nations said in his speech, “Bangladesh is a small country with a high population density and very limited resources.” There is no chance of long-term presence of Rohingyas in our territory. They must return to their motherland Myanmar.’
Highlighting the need for the Myanmar government to improve the situation in Rakhine State for the spontaneous, safe and dignified return of the Rohingyas to Myanmar, the representative of Bangladesh urged the international community, including ASEAN, to continue their support in this regard. Until the return of the Rohingya to Myanmar, he stressed, among other things, the need for adequate funding from international partners for the Rohingya living in temporary camps in Bangladesh.
