Barrister Manzoor Hasan OBE delivered “The Barrister Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Memorial Lecture 2022”

Barrister Manzoor Hasan OBE, Executive Director, Centre for Peace and Justice, Brac University delivered "The Barrister Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Memorial Lecture 2022".

The lecture, titled "Bangladesh and the Protracted Rohingya Refugee Obligations - A Future Pathway," provided a historical background on the Rohingya influx in Bangladesh, as well as outlined the legal obligations that Bangladesh has under global, regional, and national laws, read a media release.

The lecture also highlighted a future pathway incorporating a comprehensive national legal and policy framework for the refugees. The forced migration to the neighboring countries, especially to Bangladesh, is not a new phenomenon in this region.  Such forced migration happened as a consequence of atrocities committed by the Myanmar military force.

Bangladesh has given refuge to the Rohingya who have fled Myanmar on multiple occasions.  The largest influx, however, occurred in 2017, and Bangladesh's response to the Rohingya crisis has been exemplary. The international community must not forget their obligations under the principle of international solidarity and responsibility sharing.  The issue of refugees is a concern of the international community rather than a problem of individual states, and that each state is obligated to share responsibility for finding a long-term solution for these distressed communities, read the PR.

The existing legal framework and policies provide the Rohingya people with a wide range of services and protection.  The Constitution of Bangladesh contains provisions to those effects and in some instances are applicable to both citizens and non-citizens.  Even though Bangladesh is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, it does not mean that the Rohingya living in Bangladesh do not have any rights under international law. In fact, many of the same rights that are enshrined in the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol are also ingrained in international human rights instruments that Bangladesh has signed. 

As a signatory to the New York Declaration, Global Compact on Refugees and a member of the Global Refugee Forum, Bangladesh has been an active player and has contributed to the development of 'soft law' on refugee.  In the future, laws and policies could be developed with particular emphasis on areas, such as, education and livelihood, health, protection and repatriation.

Professor Mohammad Humayun Kabir gave the welcome address of "Barrister Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Memorial Lecture 2022" while Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, concluded the lecture with his remarks. The lecture was attended by academics, law practitioners, civil society members and journalists.