FE Report
Underscoring the need for resolving the ongoing Rohingya crisis, diplomats and foreign relations experts on Thursday called for the application of the international legal instruments to stop forceful displacement of people from their native countries.
Addressing a national consultation on 'Global Compact on Migration and Global Compact on Refugees,' jointly organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) in the city, they also sought a binding instrument to address refugee and migration-related issues worldwide.
Representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Andrew Mobogori, special adviser to the director general of International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Gervais Appave and Professor Imtiaz Ahmed of International Relations Department of Dhaka University were the panellists in the meeting which was moderated by Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque.
DG of BIISS Major General AKM Abdur Rahman delivered the welcome address.
Prof Imtiaz noted that use of the international legal instruments to address issues related to genocide and atrocities was necessary to stop the process of forceful displacement.
He mentioned that if necessary actions could not be taken against the perpetrators, such atrocities would remain which would result in the continuation of the refugee crisis.
Referring to the Rohingya crisis, he said, Bangladesh is facing a unique situation as it has to incorporate 'a Bhutan inside Cox's Bazar' in just three months.
'Bhutan's population is 1.2 million which is equal to the number of Rohingya refugees who were forced to take shelter in Cox's Bazar in a span of just three months period', he pointed out.
The foreign secretary said the countries like Bangladesh were put in a difficult situation through the placement of the drafts of the two Compacts on migration and refugees as those were non-binding.
He argued that the UN systems had no right to decide whether these Compacts would be non-binding or not.
"It should be decided by the member states and now we are in a difficult situation," he said mentioning that Bangladesh always fought for a binding instrument to address issues like migration and refugee crisis.
The foreign secretary was a bit critical of the drafts of the Compacts proposed by the UN system as he said, Bangladesh prefers New York declaration to these compacts as that covered many aspects like governance, equality which are absent in the drafts of the Compacts.
He, however, said historically migration is a development phenomenon which can benefit both the individual and society.
Terming the forcefully displaced people from Myanmar as a major challenge for Bangladesh, he hoped that international community would come forward to resolve the problem.
Gervais Appave of IOM presented various aspects of the draft of the Compact on Migration and said that strengthening the rule of law, ensuring security for both migrants and the host country were main aspects of the Compact.
UNHCR representative Andrew Mobogori lauded Bangladesh for its humanitarian response to the 'thousands of Rohingya refugees' and stressed the need for safe and dignified return of the refugees to their native places.
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