Tarique lays out five-point Rohingya roadmap for ‘safe, dignified’ return to Myanmar

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called for concerted international action to create the conditions for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar, putting forward a five-point plan at a high-level UN meeting.

He said Bangladesh had fulfilled its humanitarian duty towards the refugees and urged the international community to show the same resolve in addressing the crisis and creating conditions for their return.

“Bangladesh has carried its responsibility with humanity. Now the international community must carry its responsibility with conviction.

"If the necessary [conditions] are created, Bangladesh will be ready to facilitate their return,” he added.

Tarique was speaking on Wednesday morning at the UN committee meeting on the Rohingya crisis, co-hosted by Gambia and Bangladesh.

Alongside Bangladesh, representatives from eight nations -- including the UK, the US, Turkey, and Malaysia -- took part in the meeting.

The prime minister's five proposals:

●     International and regional stakeholders must formulate a clear and credible roadmap for the prompt, safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingya to Myanmar. The international community and other states must support efforts to establish stability and leverage their influence to create conditions inside Myanmar that are conducive to repatriation.

●     Violence against the Rohingya and other civilian populations in Myanmar must cease. The fundamental rights and safety of the Rohingya in their homeland must be guaranteed so that they regain the confidence to return.

●     The international community must ensure adequate and predictable humanitarian assistance for the Rohingya. Similarly, support must be extended to the local host communities so that their development aspirations are not hindered by their generous hospitality.

●     Justice and accountability are essential for sustainable repatriation. Bangladesh is deeply grateful for Gambia's leadership in ensuring accountability at the International Court of Justice. At the same time, we acknowledge the crucial role of the International Criminal Court in determining individual criminal responsibility, alongside other international judicial and investigative mechanisms. Continued support must be provided to international judicial and investigative bodies. Those responsible for grave crimes must be held to account.

●     Regional and international cooperation must be further strengthened to combat the drug-based economy, human trafficking, digital fraud, illegal weapons, and other cross-border crimes that fuel instability in the region.

Tarique added that now is the time to move from empathy to identifying the root causes of the crisis and their solutions.

He said It is time to transition from commitments to effective action. It is time to move from managing displacement to bringing an end to this displacement.