Sheikh Hasina has floated a five-pronged proposal at the United Nations to thrash out a permanent solution to the Rohingya crisis and called on all countries to back it.
She presented the proposals emphasising swift action to resolve the problem in her speech, given in Bangla as usual, at the 72nd UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, reports bdnews24.
She called for immediate steps to stop the 'cleansing' of ethnic Rohingya minority in Myanmar, send back the refugees, and to ensure their safety and rehabilitation.
Hasina was at the centre stage at the UNGA this year with the Rohingya crisis deepening along Bangladesh's border with Myanmar, crossed by over 430,000 refugees fleeing violence in Rakhine State in around a month.
In her proposals, made in light of her recent visit to refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, she specified the role the UN can play.
She proposed that the UN secretary general send a fact-finding mission to Myanmar where 'safe zones' can be built under UN supervision for protection of all civilians, irrespective of religion and ethnicity.
The prime minister also reiterated Bangladesh's stance against militancy, terrorism and extremism.
"We do not want war. We want peace. We want people’s wellbeing – not destruction of humanity," she said.
With the newly arrived Rohingyas, the number of refugees in Bangladesh stands over 800,000. The UN fears the number may reach 1 million by the end of the year if the situation in Rakhine continues.
World leaders have praised Hasina for sheltering the refugees.
Before her speech at the UNGA general debate, she cleared Bangladesh's stance over the protracted Rohingya crisis at several meetings at the UN Headquarters in New York.
At the OIC Contact Group meeting on Tuesday, she demanded Myanmar take back the refugees and end ‘state propaganda’ that labelled the ethnic group as ‘Bengalis’.
The five proposals in her address to the UNGA of 193 countries are:
- Myanmar must stop the violence and the practice of ethnic cleansing in the Rakhine State unconditionally, immediately and forever.
- The UN secretary general should immediately send a fact-finding mission to Myanmar.
- All civilians irrespective of religion and ethnicity must be protected in Myanmar. For that 'safe zones' could be created inside Myanmar under UN supervision.
- Ensure sustainable return of all forcibly displaced Rohingyas in Bangladesh to their homes in Myanmar.
- The recommendations of Kofi Annan Commission Report must be implemented immediately, unconditionally and in its entirety.
The Myanmar government with Aung San Suu Kyi as its de facto leader formed the commission headed by former UN chief Kofi Annan after it drew condemnation for an army operation against Rohingyas following attacks on security forces in October last year.
The crackdown by the army, which is still in control of the country, pushed some 67,000 Rohingyas into Bangladesh at the time.
Hours after the commission submitted its report, Rohingya insurgents attacked 30 police posts and an army base on Aug 25 this year, triggering the latest wave of violence in Rakhine State and pushing another 430,000 Rohingyas into Bangladesh.
Giving citizenship to the Rohingya Muslims and taking them back from Bangladesh after ‘joint verification’ are some of the key features of the Annan commission recommendations.
International groups have also called for full implementation of the Annan commission recommendations to solve the crisis permanently.
The US, UK, and the European Union are among many countries and blocs that have expressed concerns over the situation in Rakhine.
Russia and China, unlike past nine years, did not veto a UN Security Council statement urging Myanmar to stop the violent crackdown.
Hasina thanked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council for their attempts to stop atrocities, and bring peace and stability in Rakhine.
With the spotlight on her at the UN, the prime minister started her speech by saying: "This is the 14th time I am addressing the UN General Assembly. And this time I have come here with a heavy heart. I have come here just after seeing the hungry, distressed and hopeless Rohingyas from Myanmar who took shelter in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh."
Hasina said she could feel the refugees' pain because she, along with her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, had been a refugee for six years after their father, the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and almost all members of the family were assassinated in 1975.
As Myanmar denies the Rohingyas citizenship, Hasina told the UNGA that the people of the ethnic group were living in Rakhine for centuries.
In her depiction of the atrocities against the Rohingyas in Myanmar, Hasina said, "We are horrified to see that the Myanmar authorities are laying landmines along their stretch of the border to prevent the Ronhingyas from returning to Myanmar."
"This people must be able to return to their homeland in safety, security and dignity."
She urged the international community to take collective actions to prevent recurrence of crimes against humanity like the genocide launched by the Pakistan Army on Mar 25, 1971 at the beginning of Bangladesh's Liberation War.
Noting that Bangladesh parliament recently declared March 25 as “Genocide Day” to pay homage to the victims of the genocide, she also urged the global leaders to recognise the genocide.
"I believe, recognition of past tragedies like the 1971 genocide would guide us to achieve 'never again'," Hasina said.
Speaking about Bangladesh's stance against militancy, she also proposed measures to tackle global terrorism:
- Stop supplying arms to the terrorists;
- Stop terrorist financing; and
- Settle all international disputes peacefully.
The prime minister reaffirmed Bangladesh's call for resuming the Middle East Peace Process, and for ending all forms of hostilities and discriminations against Palestinian people.
Hasina said Bangladesh was looking forward to 'bold and innovative' proposals from the UN chief on financing for 'sustaining peace' in recognition of the role of the UN peacebuilding architecture.
She announced a token contribution of $100,000 from Bangladesh for the UN Peacebuilding Fund.
She said Bangladesh will maintain its own capability readiness, remain open to further pledges, enhance the scope of peacekeeping training, and deploy more female peacekeepers.
"Since our birth as a nation, we have pursued peace-centric domestic and foreign policies. With that spirit, Bangladesh has been taking the lead in tabling the resolution on “Culture of Peace” every year in the General Assembly since 2000.”
The Bangladesh leader also announced another token contribution of $100,000 to the Victim Support Fund established for fighting sexual exploitation and abuse.
"As an endorser of the Voluntary Compact on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, I have committed myself to the Secretary General’s Circle of Leadership to combat this scourge," she said.
The prime minister urged the UN to address the threats emanated from the cyber space to prevent money laundering, terrorist financing and other transnational organised crimes.
Speaking about climate change, she said the Paris Climate Agreement remained "our bastion of hope for climate justice".
"By recognising the climate vulnerability, we are building resilience against the grave impacts of climate change," she said.
She announced at the UNGA that the Bangabandhu Satellite-1, Bangladesh's first ever satellite, would be launched on the country's Victory Day on Dec 16 this year.
Hasina informed the assembly about Bangladesh's steps to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. She mentioned the water SDG in her speech, noting her role as a member of the High-Level Panel on Water.
"We want sustainable development. Let this be our collective goal," she concluded.
