At an international conference in Cox’s Bazar this week, Bangladesh’s interim government leader Muhammad Yunus presented a seven-point proposal aimed at ensuring the safe repatriation of 1.3 million Rohingya refugees currently living in Bangladesh. The initiative calls for an end to violence in Myanmar, stronger international engagement, and implementation of provisional measures from the International Court of Justice.
The conference, titled “Stakeholders’ Dialogue,” was convened to bring global actors together in search of solutions to the crisis, which began with the mass exodus of Rohingya from Myanmar’s Rakhine state in August 2017. Yunus warned that delay in addressing the situation would only deepen the humanitarian tragedy.
Denmark, Norway and Sweden joined Canada, the UK and several other countries in issuing a joint statement marking the eighth anniversary of the Rohingya exodus. The Nordic missions condemned escalating violence by Myanmar’s military regime and armed groups, and urged immediate humanitarian access as well as the release of wrongfully detained individuals.
Nordic countries have been active supporters of humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya population in Bangladesh over the years, through aid projects and NGO intervention.
