With the Western powers attempting to host a conference to mobilise aid for Rohingya refugees later this month, Bangladesh has expressed its reservations about too many objectives of the initiative.
The Bangladesh government was not consulted properly before holding such a conference whereas the country is the main victim of the crisis, officials concerned alleged.
The US, the UK, the European Union, and the UN Refugee Agency will co-host a donor conference on October 22 to promote support for Rohingya refugees and the host countries.
The co-hosts will call on the international community to provide much-needed funding to assist Rohingya refugees, host communities, and internally-displaced people in Myanmar.
"We do not agree to some of the objectives of this conference. They said that they would look for a 'multi-year' humanitarian aid plan to support the Rohingya refugees, but this doesn't match with our core objective of repatriating the Rohingya to their homeland in Myanmar as soon as possible," foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told the FE.
"Repatriation is our first priority, if possible we are ready to send them back to their homeland tomorrow. We do not want to keep them in our country months after months," the minister said strongly suggesting that the international community should put pressure on Myanmar to expedite the repatriation.
'They are talking about high standard of living for refugees, but why don't the organisers pressurise Myanmar to take back the Rohingya so that they can enjoy the high standard of living in their own country," the foreign minister argued.
In his just-concluded visit to Bangladesh, US deputy secretary of state Stephen Biegun also attached high importance to the upcoming conference.
"The United States is proud to stand with the UK, the EU, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees as partners in leading this call to sustain the international crisis response to assist Rohingya refugees and other displaced people, as well as strengthen investment in affected host communities."
"As the world's most generous donor, we are a catalyst for the international humanitarian response and call on others to contribute to this cause - both longstanding partners as well as new and aspiring donors."
But officials familiar with the development told the FE Bangladesh made it clear to the organisers that this effort by the Western powers should not signal a long-term stay of refugees in the country.
Bangladesh also presented an account of huge socio-economic losses to the donors.
The UN has appealed for more than $1.0 billion in aid to meet the humanitarian needs of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh this year, but so far less than half has been mobilized, leaving a significant funding gap, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The conference will be an opportunity for the co-hosts to reiterate that any sustainable solution to this crisis must include the voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees and other displaced people to their homes or to a place of their choosing, a spokesperson of the organisers said.
However, in a statement UK's foreign secretary Dominic Raab pointed out the accountability issue of the Rohingya crisis.
"The Rohingya people have faced horrific brutality and were forced to flee their homes in the worst circumstances imaginable. We have taken action against the architects of this systemic violence, including through sanctions and we will continue to hold those responsible to account," he said.
JanezLenar?i?, European commissioner for crisis management, also pledged that the Rohingya refugees have the continued full support from the EU at this critical time.
FilippoGrandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees, said: "Solidarity with the Rohingya people means more than just meeting their basic needs. Refugees, like everyone else, have a right to a life of dignity and the chance to build a safe and stable future."
Since the latest displacement of Rohingya during the exodus from Myanmar in August 2017, the overwhelming majority have been hosted in camps in Bangladesh.
There are? currently 860,000?Rohingya in camps in Cox's Bazar, the world's largest refugee settlement, while other countries in the region host up to an additional 150,000 refugees. An estimated 600,000 live in Myanmar's Rakhine State.
The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened living conditions, made access to services even more challenging, increased the risk of sexual and gender-based violence, and exacerbated the risk of infectious diseases for displaced Rohingya living in crowded camps, such as those in Cox's Bazar and in Rakhine State, officials of the UNHRC said.
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