ZCZC
BSS -21
UN-SG-VISIT
Guterres visit to assess progress towards return of Rohingyas
DHAKA, June 29, 2018 (BSS) – The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres
will assess progress towards a safe, voluntary and dignified return of
Rohingyas during his visit to Bangladesh starting from July 1, said St‚phane
Dujarric, spokesman for the secretary general.
Around 700,000 Rohimgyas took shelter in Bangladesh from Myanmar’s
Rakhine state since last August following the brutal military actions termed
by UN as “ethnic cleansing” and ” genocide” by rights groups.
The UN Secretary General will arrive in Dhaka on July 1 on a joint visit
with World Bank Group President Dr Jim Yong Kim to see Rohingyas 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,” spokesperson Dujarric
told reporters at a press briefing at UN HQ in New York on Thursday,
according to UN’s global official website.
Their visit will highlight the generosity of Bangladesh in hosting the
largest refugee influx of 2017 and the need of the international community to
do more, he added.
The visit also aims to lay the groundwork for further dialogue with the
Government of Bangladesh on medium-term planning for the refugee situation
and to reiterate the UN and the World Bank’s support for finding
comprehensive solutions to the situation of the Rohingya people.
In Dhaka, the Secretary-General and the President of the World Bank
Group will have meetings with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and
other higher authorities.
On 2 July, they will travel to Cox’s Bazar to visit Rohingya refugee
communities and humanitarian workers and advocate for more donor support.
The Secretary-General and the President of the World Bank Group will be
accompanied by the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Filippo Grandi,
and the Executive Director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr. Natalia
Kanem.
The UN expects the Secretary-General will be back in New York on 3 July.
BSS//TA/RY/1835 hrs