UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim are coming to Bangladesh to visit Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar.
They will visit the camps to witness the sufferings of displaced Rohingya people, who took shelter in the camps after becoming the victims of ‘ethnic cleansing’ from the Rakhine State of Myanmar.
In a recent move, judges at the International Criminal Court gave Myanmar a deadline to respond to a prosecution request that the ICC should exercise jurisdiction over the alleged crimes.
World Bank Dhaka office spokesperson Mehrin Ahmed Mahbub that the World Bank president would be visiting Bangladesh on July 1 and 2, reports bdnews24.com.
The UN office in Dhaka did not discuss the Secretary General’s visit when asked, but a senior official at the foreign ministry has confirmed his visit.
Both of them are expected to arrive in Dhaka on the evening of June 30 and are scheduled to visit Rohingya camps on July 2.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith had previously told reporters on June 18 that the two would visit Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar during the visit.
The World Bank is planning to give between $400 and $500 million in aid in phases for Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar, Muhith said.
The two will also meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Finance Minister AMA Muhith and Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, among others.
About 700,000 of the Muslim-majority Rohingya population have fled largely Buddhist Myanmar to Bangladesh after a military crackdown in August 2017 that the United Nations has called ‘ethnic cleansing’.
Bangladesh is in talks with Myanmar to repatriate the refugees. The international community has called upon Myanmar to ensure an environment so that they can return voluntarily.
The UN secretary-general has asked Myanmar to address the root causes of the violence and the responsibility of the Myanmar government to provide security and assistance to those in need.
Judges at the International Criminal Court have given Myanmar a deadline to respond to a prosecution request that they consider hearing a case on the alleged deportation of Rohingya minorities to Bangladesh.
In a decision published on Thursday, the judges asked Myanmar to respond to request made in April that the ICC should exercise jurisdiction over the alleged crimes by July 27.