UN chief in Dhaka to put spotlight on Rohingyas
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Dhaka yesterday on a four-day visit that will highlight the Rohingya crisis that has worsened with cuts in monthly food aid for the refugees.
This is also his first visit after the political changeover in Bangladesh in August last year.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain welcomed the UN chief after he landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in the afternoon.
"... Antonio Guterres will have iftar with Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Rafiqul Alam said at a media briefing yesterday.
Later, the UN chief in a Facebook post last night said, "Every Ramadan, I spend time with Muslim communities living in difficult circumstances, to observe the fast with them & help shine a spotlight on their plight. This year I'm in Bangladesh to express my solidarity with Rohingya refugees & the Bangladeshi people hosting them."
This morning, the UN chief will hold meetings with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain, and High Representative on Rohingya Crisis and Priority Issues Khalilur Rahman.
"UN cooperation with Bangladesh on the Rohingya crisis and solutions and important global and regional issues are expected to be discussed," the spokesperson added.
In the afternoon, the chief adviser and Guterres will fly to Cox's Bazar where they will join an iftar event with more than 100,000 Rohingyas and the host community.
On March 15, the UN chief will visit a photo exhibition at the UN Common Premises and take part in a roundtable discussion on reforms, a dialogue with the youth and a meeting with civil society.
In the afternoon, Yunus and Guterres will hold a joint media briefing before joining an iftar in his honour to be hosted by the chief adviser.
He will be leaving Dhaka on March 16 morning.
"We are expecting his visit to draw global attention and stronger response to the humanitarian crisis as well as addressing the Rohingyas crisis in a sustainable way, which is their repatriation to Myanmar," Spokesperson Rafiqul said.
Bangladesh faces a serious challenge with over a million Rohingyas, most of them fleeing the military crackdown in 2017.
No Rohingya could be repatriated despite several attempts since then. Since the middle of last year, almost another one lakh Rohingyas fled the Rakhine State of Myanmar amid conflicts between the Myanmar military and the rebel group Arakan Army.
Close to 90 percent of Rakhine State is also now controlled by the Arakan Army, complicating the Rohingya situation in Myanmar, with a lot of them and other Myanmar citizens displaced.
Some diplomatic sources said the UN was seeking a humanitarian corridor allowing supplies of aid through Bangladesh to Rakhine State.
However, Spokesperson Rafiqul could not say whether Bangladesh would agree to this.
The World Food Programme has decided to cut monthly food aid from $12.5 to $6 per person from April amid USAID trimming of its funds globally.
Children in the Rohingya camps are already experiencing the worst levels of malnutrition since 2017, with admissions for severe malnutrition treatment up 27 percent in February compared with the same month in 2024, said UNICEF.
"We believe the visit of Antonio Guterres will bring the Rohingya crisis back to the forefront of global discussions," Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told reporters.
Shafiqul in a Facebook post last night said, "In light of the dire humanitarian situation in Rakhine State, Bangladesh will positively consider supporting UN-led humanitarian assistance to the state.
"We reiterate our appeal to all donors and the UN system to ensure that the assistance to Rohingyas is given high priority and aid to them does not diminish," he said.
He said Bangladesh hopes that the UN secretary general will give the Rohingya community a message of hope.
He said they would urge the secretary general to invest his leadership to make progress towards the objective of the Rohingyas' early repatriation and to ensure that international aid for them are not affected.
Shafiqul said considering the newly emerged situation in the Rakhine State, Bangladesh government ought to act and safeguard it's border security, stability, and peace.
"Therefore, we are keeping operational contact with the actors on the other side of the border."
Meanwhile, Guterres may discuss the ongoing reforms and human rights situation in Bangladesh, diplomatic sources said.
The UN Fact Finding Mission already published a report on the human rights violations during July-August uprising and made a number of recommendations.
"The UN agencies are working with the interim government for supporting reforms. It is up to the government how it will implement the UN Fact Finding Mission's recommendations," a UN official told this correspondent.
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