Staff Reporter:
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam yesterday stressed the need to keep the Rohingya crisis high on the international agenda, describing sustained global attention as a major challenge for Bangladesh.
“We need to keep the Rohingya issue relevant on the international stage, and keeping it relevant remains a major challenge,” she said while addressing a national policy dialogue as the chief guest at the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka.
Neeti Gobeshona Kendro organised the dialogue titled “A Sustainable Approach to the Resolution of the Rohingya Crisis: Outline of a National Strategy and External Contribution”.
Shama Obaed said the Rohingya crisis has become a security concern for Bangladesh, underscoring the need for meaningful international engagement to resolve it.
She said Bangladesh must press the international community to engage meaningfully with Myanmar to ensure that conditions are created inside that country for the safe and dignified return of the Rohingyas.
“We have always been vocal about the Rohingya crisis,” she said, reiterating that repatriation must take place in a safe and dignified manner.
“We need to ensure minimum dignity for them,” she added.
The state minister also emphasized the importance of building a national political consensus on addressing the protracted crisis.
Bangladesh is hosting more than 1.3 million Rohingyas, with their growing numbers putting increasing pressure on host communities and the country’s economy, the dialogue was told.
The dialogue sought to promote constructive engagement among policymakers, political leaders, diplomats, researchers, civil society representatives, human rights advocates, journalists and representatives of the Rohingya community on a sustainable and comprehensive approach to resolving the crisis.
Discussions focused on formulating a national strategic framework, building political consensus, strengthening diplomatic engagement and exploring the contributions of international and external stakeholders.
The dialogue also highlighted the importance of sustained policy engagement and meaningful participation of the Rohingya community in finding a durable and dignified solution to the crisis.
