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Both formal, informal diplomacy needed to solve Rohingya problem: Speakers

Monday, 21 June 2021


Speakers at a webinar on Sunday said that backchannel diplomacy should get involved, along with the official one, to mount greater international pressure on Myanmar to take back the Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh, reports UNB.
They said that informal and unofficial channels, known as Track 2 Diplomacy, can help in finding a sustainable return of the Rogingyas to their land in Rakhine state of Myanmar.
They also urged all stakeholders to ensure human dignity of the Rohingya community and their social cohesion with the locals until the repatriation.
Cox's Bazar CSO NGO Forum (CCNF), a network of 50 NGOs working in Cox's Bazar, organised the virtual seminar on the occasion of World Refugee Day titled 'World Refugee Day: Together We Heal, Learn and Shine'.
The webinar was jointly moderated by two Co-Chairs of CCNF Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Executive Director COAST Foundation, and Abu Morshed Chowdhury, Executive Director-PHALS.
Arifur Rahman, Chief Executive YPSA, Bimal Chandra Dey Sarker, Chief Executive Mukti Cox's Bazar, Abul Kashem, Executive Director of HELP Cox's Bazar, Zahangir Alam, Member Secretary of CCNF, and Assistant Director of COAST Foundation placed specific interventions on behalf of the organizers.
Among others, Shireen Haq of Naripokkha, Gowhar Nayeem Wahra of Disasater Forum, Manuel Moniz Pereira of IoM in Coxs Bazar, Pius Mbaya Mulonzya of NGO Platform Coordinator, Soo Jin Rhee, Deputy Representative, UNHCR spoke at the occasion.
In his speech, Abu Murshed Chowdhury said Myanmar holds the main responsibility to ensure sustainable repatriation of the Rohingya people.
He said backchannel initiatives can work well along with UN initiative and government to government diplomacy for a sustainable solution to this problem.