Rohingya crisis: Three top UN officials to visit Bangladesh from Apr 24

Three top United Nations officials will visit Bangladesh to highlight the humanitarian assistance to meet the urgent needs of over one million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) António Vitorino, and UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock will visit the country from April 24-26.

The delegation will hold talks in Dhaka with senior government officials, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, to explore ways the international community can provide further support to Bangladesh hosting the Rohingyas, the UN office in Dhaka said in a statement, reports bdnews24.

The delegation will then travel to Cox’s Bazar to meet with refugees, assess preparations underway ahead of the monsoon season and visit projects, including those involving food distribution and shelters.

They will also meet refugees who are working as volunteers, and observe a UNHCR-government of Bangladesh registration exercise, designed to provide identity cards to all refugees, ensuring their access to aid services and protection as well as establishing their rights to return to Myanmar.

The aim of the visit is to highlight the need to continue strong international support for the humanitarian response while solutions for the Rohingya are pursued, including the creation of conditions in Myanmar’s Rakhine State that would allow for the voluntary, safe and dignified return of refugees to their homes, according to the statement.