Dhaka, (Samajweekly) The world has not forgotten the plight of the Rohingya people and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is determined to ensure a better future for them, the UN said on Thursday quoting UNGA President Volkan Bozkir, who on Wednesday interacted with the representatives from the Rohingya community in Coxs Bazar.
Bozkir paid an official visit to Bangladesh on May 25-26 following an invitation from the Bangladesh government.
Upon his arrival in Dhaka on May 25, Bozkir met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and discussed the plight of the Rohingya people, the situation in Myanmar, the impact of climate change, the importance of human-centred development, gender equality and women’s empowerment, and culture of peace and peacekeeping.
The UNGA President expressed determination to ensure a better future for the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals, who took temporary shelter in Bangladesh amid ethnic cleansing and genocide in the Rakhine state.
On Wednesday, Bozkir travelled to Cox’s Bazar, where he met with the representatives of the Rohingya people. He was joined there by Shah Rezwan Hayat, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, Mia Seppo, UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, and camp authorities.
During the visit, Bozkir was briefed on camp management by Hayat and the camp authorities. Following this, the President surveyed the camp from an aerial position from the watch tower of Camp-8W.
Bozkir then visited Camp 9, which was impacted by fire recently, where he met the healthcare workers besides inspecting the facilities at the Turkish Field Hospital there.
Subsequently, the UNGA President visited the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum on the occasion of the 100th birth centenary year of Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
He also separately met Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen and the topics of discussion included the situation of the Rohingya people, climate change, Covid response, LDC graduation, south-south cooperation, and the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.
While in Dhaka, Bozkir delivered the sixth lecture in the Bangabandhu lecture series at the Foreign Service Academy of Bangladesh, which was focused on Bangladesh and the United Nations.
To round off the day, the UNGA President met with the UN Country Team in Bangladesh, led by Resident Coordinator of USA, Mia Seppo. Here he received a briefing from the representatives of the UN agencies on the crucial works of the United Nations in Bangladesh.
