DHAKA, Dec 28, 2019 (BSS) – The United Nations (UN) has adopted a
resolution on ‘Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other
minorities in Myanmar’ with an overwhelming majority of votes.
The resolution was passed during the 74th session of UN General Assembly at
its 52nd resumed meeting held at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday,
according to a press release received here today from Bangladesh Permanent
Mission to the UN.
A total of 134 countries voted in favour of the resolution while, 9 voted
against and 28 abstained, said the release.
“The resolution, co-tabled by the OIC and EU, was earlier adopted at the
Third Committee on Nov 14 also with an overwhelming majority and today’s
General Assembly endorsement came after settlement of its budgetary issues at
the Fifth Committee,” it added.
Since August 2017, this is the third time the resolution has been adopted
by the General Assembly which is an expression of international community’s
continued solidarity with the cause of Rohingyas.
Like previous years, the release said the Bangladesh Permanent Mission
remained engaged in the entire process of drafting, negotiation and ultimate
adoption of the resolution.
In the same session, the General Assembly also approved by consensus the
regular budget allocation for the Independent Investigative Mechanism for
Myanmar (IIMM), created by the Human Rights Council last year.
The IIMM is the successor to the Independent International Fact-Finding
Mission on Myanmar.
The General Assembly endorsements of the Myanmar resolution and the IIMM
are significant developments since they are expected to further strengthen
the ongoing justice and accountability initiatives including at the ICJ and
ICC, said the Bangladesh permanent mission.
Bangladesh currently extends makeshift refuge to over 1.1 million
forcefully displaced Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar while most of them arrived
since Myanmar launched a military crackdown on August 25, 2017, which the UN
called a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” and dubbed as “genocide” by
other rights groups.
In the last two years, no Rohingya returned as Myanmar visibly failed to
build trust among them about their safety on their return home.