International relations experts have opined that the Rohingya crisis cannot be resolved without granting the full citizenship to the persecuted ethnic population by Myanmar.
They were addressing a two-day international e-conference that ended on Wednesday.
The Dhaka Declaration-2020 adopted by the conference called for international efforts for safe and dignified repatriation of the Rohingya to their homeland.
It also urged the world community to ensure accountability of those who committed war crimes against the Rohingya.
ActionAid Bangladesh hosted the conference styled 'Connecting Rohingya Diaspora: Highlighting the Global Displacement' in association with Centre for Genocide Studies (Dhaka University) and Centre for Peace and Justice (BRAC University).
The event marked the third anniversary of the latest Rohingya crisis.
Bangladesh foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen joined the E-Conference as the chief guest.
Cherno Marenah, solicitor general and legal secretary, justice ministry of the Gambia, was the guest of honour.
Addressing the inaugural session on Tuesday night, Mr Momen said, "The Rohingya from Myanmar have been subject to abuse since 1948. They are acknowledged as the most persecuted community globally."
"There are approximately 2.5-million Rohingya scattered around the world, and more than half of whom reside in Bangladesh," he added.
Mr Momen noted that the prolonged stay of the Rohingya might trigger violence and conflict in the region if the situation prolongs.
Despite Bangladesh's willingness to achieve peaceful repatriation of the refugees, Myanmar's lack of interest is proving to be a major obstacle, he said.
The secretary urged the international community to put pressure on Myanmar to achieve a dignified and sustainable repatriation of the refugees.
The e-conference was attended by experts, researchers, academician, human rights activists and humanitarian workers working on the Rohingya diaspora from 12 countries including Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Gambian legal secretary Mr Marenah said, "In October, Gambia will submit the first memorandum in the case at the International Court of Justice. We're working extremely hard alongside international lawyers."
Gambia always takes the lead when it comes to humanitarian crises, and is especially active in the African continent, he added.
Manzoor Hasan OBE, executive director, Centre for Peace and Justice, said, "We'll release the Dhaka Declaration after the culmination of the two-day conference."
About the overall perspective of the conference, Prof Dr Imtiaz Ahmed, director, Centre for Genocide Studies, said, the Rohingya is not a bilateral issue, it is an international issue now.
"There has been a systematic genocide going on in Myanmar for decades. Previously, the genocide had not got proper coverage, but the 2017 events have brought it into the limelight."
Dr Ahmed urged the world to unite in order to achieve the peaceful repatriation of the Rohingya and reformation of the Myanmar constitution to ensure their rights as Myanmar citizens.
ActionAid Bangladesh country director Farah Kabir said, "We don't want the plight of the Rohingya to prolong.
Azeem Ibrahim, director, Centre for Global Policy in Washington DC, said, "It's not easy for the Rohingya diaspora to return to their country. Their repatriation is a very complex process."
"They have been subject to abuse for more than half a century. The Rohingya diaspora have to unite with other minority communities to resolve this issue."
Bangladesh should pursue Myanmar in an aggressive way together with the international community to settle the Rohingya issue, Mr Ibrahim suggested.
Yasmin Ullah, a Rohingya activist from Canada, said, "Approximately 1,500 Rohingya refugees are settled in Canada and North America. Most of them are survivors of human rights violations from Myanmar and were considerably traumatised…"
"Second- and third-generation Rohingya in Canada and North America suffer from a serious lack of identity as the diaspora are struggling to preserve their culture."
Morad Alsahafi, assistant professor, Modern Languages and Literature at King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia, presented a paper 'Rohingya Refugee in Saudi Arabia: Historical Background and Current Situation'.
He shed a light on the socio-economic background of the Rohingya refugees living in Saudi Arabia and the problems they face due to the language barrier.
Prof Michimi Muranushi of law at Gakushuin University, Tokyo, said, "Most of the Rohingya residing in Japan live in a city two hours train ride away from Tokyo. The Japan Government has for years ignored the Rohingya diaspora's requests to acknowledge their refugee issue."
Despite some representation of the issue in the media, there has been no change in Japan's international ties regarding the Rohingya refugee issue, he cited.
Ma Htike, a PhD student at Queen Mary University of London, said, "The Citizenship Act of Myanmar 1982 is a racist act. The implementation of this law challenged the rights of the minorities."
"A total of 135 minority groups were declared as indigenous people, and the rest were declared as settlers. For this act, the Rohingya lost their citizenship rights…"
She categorically said, "The citizenship law needs to be reformed in order to stop genocide in Myanmar."
Regina M Paulose, international criminal law attorney in the United States, raised points regarding how the US-based Rohingya diaspora are working in order to resolve racial discrimination in Myanmar.
She also highlighted activities being done by the diaspora to stop genocide in Myanmar.
Ms Paulose told the virtual programme that the Rohingya diaspora get equal rights in the US.
Kunnawut Boonreak, a PHD candidate at social sciences faculty of Chiang Mai University, Thailand, said, "The Thailand-based Rohingya live a diversified life socially and economically."
"Both the citizens and refugees living there have created a network within themselves based on business, religion and nationality."
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