State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam has sought support of the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for creating a conducive situation in Myanmar for safe and dignified repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingya people.
“By opening our borders to the persecuted Rohingyas, Bangladesh has not
only saved lives but also stabilized the entire region,” he said while
briefing OIC ambassadors and delegates about the evolving situation with the
crisis in Geneva on Thursday, according to a message received here today.
“The international community has a shared responsibility to help restore
the Rohingyas’ fundamental rights and freedoms, including their right to
return to Myanmar in safety and dignity,” he added.
The state minister arrived in Geneva on Wednesday to attend the launch of
the UN Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis for 2019.
The launch will take place at an event at the UN in the Swiss city of
Geneva today.
Alam raised the possibility of creating a civilian “safe zone” for the
returnee Rohingyas in Myanmar, to be monitored by the human rights and
humanitarian outfits in the concerned regional context.
He also shared information on the government’s plans to relocate a portion
of the Rohingya population in Cox’s Bazar to the Bhashan Char island in
consultation with all concerned stakeholders.
The OIC ambassadors and delegates from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt,
Indonesia, Pakistan, Lebanon, Jordan, Libya, State of Palestine and the
Maldives reaffirmed their solidarity with the forcibly displaced Rohingyas
and commended Bangladesh for its generosity in hosting them.
The OIC member states reiterated their commitment to help find a peaceful
and lasting solution to the crisis through sustained engagement in the
relevant human rights and humanitarian fora in Geneva.
The state minister also had a bilateral meeting with Michelle Bachelet, UN
High Commissioner for Human Rights, where they discussed the latest
developments with the Rohingya crisis.
The high commissioner conveyed her personal greetings to Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina, and congratulated Bangladesh on its reelection to the Human
Rights Council (HRC).
She assured of continued engagement of her office in realizing the newly-
elected government’s commitments to promoting the rule of law, good
governance and human rights.
Alam said that in course of its efforts to further consolidate democracy
and sustainable development, the government of Bangladesh would make all
possible efforts to deliver on the huge mandate given by the electorate.
He thanked the high commissioner for her office’s participation in the
seminar on Bangladesh and Human Rights held on February 10 in 2019 in Dhaka.
High Commissioner Bachelet welcomed Bangladesh’s positive consideration of
developing an Action Plan for implementing the recommendations from its 3rd
cycle Universal Periodic Review in HRC last year.
The state minister earlier had a meeting with Houlin Zhao, Secretary
General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The Secretary General congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on her
reelection, and recalled his previous visits to Dhaka to witness the progress
with “Digital Bangladesh”.
He expressed his wish to visit places outside the capital next time to
experience the real impact of the government’s broad-based digitization
efforts.
Zhao said that the Bangladesh narrative is a good model for the ITU to
promote among other developing countries.
He invited Bangladesh to actively engage in the development of
international telecommunications standards.
Alam encouraged the ITU to contribute further to member states’ capacity building for cyber security through existing regional arrangements. He assured the secretary general of doing Bangladesh’s part in helping ITU
achieve its strategic goals and targets till 2023.
(BSS)
