UNGA determined to ensure better future for Rohingyas: Volkan Bozkir

UN General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir on Wednesday has expressed determination to ensure a better future for the Rohingyas.

"I assure you, the United Nations General Assembly is determined to ensure a better future for the Rohingya people," he said after visiting the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar where nearly a million Myanmar nationals took shelter after fleeing persecutions in the Rakhine State since the 1980s.

Most Rohingyas fled the military crackdown in 2017, which was dubbed as genocide, and repeated attempts of repatriation have failed as conditions in the Rakhine State are not conducive for return.

He met Rohingya leaders and received a briefing on the camp from the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Shah Rezwan Hayat.

In the statement following his Cox's Bazar visit, Volkan thanked Bangladesh for sheltering and providing humanitarian assistance to the Rohingyas. He said the Rohingyas living in Cox's Bazar survived unimaginable horrors and persecution. They undertook treacherous journeys to reach safety – last year alone, 200 lives were lost at sea. In recent weeks, a fire broke out here in the camp, yet they persist.

"Right now, there is no defined path to the future, to a permanent home. A voluntary, dignified and safe return is the ultimate goal however, the humanitarian need in Myanmar is increasing," Volkan said.

In the Rakhine State, there were an estimated 600,000 Rohingyas. 144,000 are living in 21 displacement camps as well as among the host community since 2012.

"We must not forget the order of the International Court of Justice in 2020 that everything possible should be done to prevent a genocide against the Rohingya," Volkan Bozkir said, adding that the safety and security of the Rohingyas and other minorities must be secured.

"Their basic rights, including the right to full citizenship, freedom of movement, and the creation of conditions conducive to the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of all Rohingya returnees and IDPs, must be respected."