Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has said that the repatriation of more than one million Rohingya refugees to their homeland in Myanmar's Rakhine State remains the only viable and sustainable solution to the protracted crisis.
He urged the UN refugee agency to maintain active engagement to facilitate their safe, voluntary and dignified return, a spokesman for the Chief Adviser's Office said on Thursday.
Professor Yunus made the remarks late on Wednesday when the newly appointed country representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ivo Freijsen, paid a courtesy call on him at the State Guest House Jamuna in central Dhaka, according to the Chief Adviser's Office.
During the meeting, the UNHCR representative highlighted a "dramatic decline" in international aid for Rohingya refugees living in camps in Bangladesh's south-eastern district of Cox's Bazar and stressed the need to promote greater self-reliance and livelihood opportunities within the settlements.
Professor Yunus said the Rohingya crisis was not receiving the attention it deserved, despite the interim government organising a series of high-profile events over the past year.
These included a visit by the UN Secretary-General to the camps during Ramadan, which helped draw renewed international focus to the humanitarian situation.
He said the prolonged stay of Rohingyas in the camps could never be a solution, as it had already created tensions with host communities, and called for renewed global efforts to ensure repatriation.
"The problem began in Myanmar, and the solution must also come from there. A frustrated and angry young generation is growing up in the camps, with access to technology. This is not good news for anyone. Our job is to make sure they return to their homeland in peace and dignity," the Chief Adviser said.
The meeting also discussed the Rohingya situation in Bhasan Char, the upcoming general elections and referendum, and Bangladesh's democratic transition.
Professor Yunus noted that many refugees had left shelters on Bhasan Char island and blended into the mainland population, creating new challenges for the country.
Ivo Freijsen said that the newly appointed UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih, had expressed keen interest in visiting Bangladesh in the near future and was expected to travel to the Rohingya camps. His predecessor, Filippo Grandi, visited the camps several times since 2017.
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