UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi and Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus agreed Monday that securing new funding and safe Rohingya repatriation to Myanmar remain top priorities. The meeting preceded a Tuesday conference at UN headquarters addressing the crisis affecting over 1.3 million refugees in Bangladesh. Yunus noted 150,000 additional Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh during the past 18 months as humanitarian conditions deteriorated in Rakhine State.
National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman reported that authorities have verified roughly 250,000 refugees. Grandi praised September's Cox's Bazar conference, where Rohingya leaders participated for the first time, and urged Bangladesh to strengthen diplomatic engagement with major powers. Julie Bishop, UN Special Envoy on Myanmar, separately met Yunus and stressed the need for Organization of Islamic Cooperation nations to increase financial contributions.
Yunus emphasized that the Rohingya's return to Myanmar offers the only workable solution to the displacement crisis. The chief adviser expressed hope that Tuesday's landmark conference would produce concrete proposals and mobilize international support. Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain and other senior officials attended both discussions at a hotel in New York.
National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman reported that authorities have verified roughly 250,000 refugees. Grandi praised September's Cox's Bazar conference, where Rohingya leaders participated for the first time, and urged Bangladesh to strengthen diplomatic engagement with major powers. Julie Bishop, UN Special Envoy on Myanmar, separately met Yunus and stressed the need for Organization of Islamic Cooperation nations to increase financial contributions.
Yunus emphasized that the Rohingya's return to Myanmar offers the only workable solution to the displacement crisis. The chief adviser expressed hope that Tuesday's landmark conference would produce concrete proposals and mobilize international support. Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain and other senior officials attended both discussions at a hotel in New York.
