UNHCR chief, UN Special Rapporteur arrives in city


FE Team | Published: June 30, 2018 11:53:25 | Updated: June 30, 2018 17:56:29


UNHCR chief, UN Special Rapporteur in city

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi and UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar Yanghee Lee arrived in Dhaka on Friday.

They will visit Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar, reports UNB.

Filippo Grandi will accompany UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and President of the World Bank Group Dr Jim Yong Kim who are scheduled to arrive here on Sunday to see Rohingya situation on the ground and UN agencies engagement in the camps.

They will review the situation of the newly arrived Rohingyas in Bangladesh, and assess progress towards a safe, voluntary and dignified return of refugees, in line with international standards.

Earlier in July last year, Grandi visited two Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar and talked to Myanmar's minority people, who fled to Bangladesh due to persecution.

Lee bemoaned that the government of Myanmar continues to deny her access despite the call by the Human Rights Council for Myanmar to cooperate with her mandate, said the report.

She is determined to reach out as much as possible to victims of human rights abuses in Myanmar who are located elsewhere and other locations in order to learn more about their experiences to understand better the human rights situation in Myanmar.

The Special Rapporteur is planning to spend several days in Dhaka meeting UN and government officials and then travel to Cox's Bazar where she intends to meet UN agencies, the humanitarian and protection sector, health and GBV actors, NGOs and government officials.

She also intends to visit various other locations, including Bashan Char Island.

Following her visit to Bangladesh, the human rights expert will issue an end-of-mission statement and share her findings when she presents a report to the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in October 2018.

A press conference will be held at the end of the Special Rapporteur's visit on July 8 in a city hotel.

Yanghee Lee was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2014 as the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.

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