Rohingya crisis needs lasting solutions: UNHCR

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), on Friday, called for renewed support and solutions for displaced and stateless Rohingya communities both within and outside of Myanmar, according to a press release. 

Three years on from the latest exodus of Rohingya refugees, who fled Myanmar and sought sanctuary in Bangladesh from August 2017 onwards, challenges persist and continue to evolve, it adds. 

The Covid-19 pandemic has complicated the situation, said UNHCR. "The international community must not only maintain support for refugees and their host communities, but also adapt to critical needs and expand the search for solutions," it continued in the release.

"Rohingya communities estimate that up to three-quarters of the Rohingya people are today living outside of Myanmar. UNHCR and the Government of Bangladesh have individually registered over 860,000 Rohingya refugees in the refugee settlements in Cox's Bazar," adds the release. 

Bangladesh has demonstrated a profound humanitarian commitment to Rohingya refugees. It has ensured their protection and extended life-saving humanitarian support, and now hosts nine out of ten Rohingya refugees registered in the Asia-Pacific region, it says. 

This generosity must be acknowledged through continued investment in both Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi host communities.

Ultimately, the solution to the plight of the Rohingya lies in Myanmar, and in comprehensively implementing the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State; to which the Government of Myanmar has committed.

"Creating conditions that are conducive to the Rohingya people's safe and sustainable return will require whole-of-society engagement, resuming and enhancing the dialogue between the Myanmar authorities and Rohingya refugees, as well as other measures that help inspire trust," reads the statement. 

"Outside of Myanmar, our collective efforts must be directed not only to ensuring the dignity and well-being of the Rohingya today, but also to preserving their hopes and improving the prospects for their futures. This means working towards lasting solutions, not only in Myanmar itself, but also through study and work opportunities outside of countries of asylum, and third-country pathways for those with the most acute vulnerabilities," mentions the statement. 

"The strength and resilience of the Rohingya people in exile in Bangladesh, and elsewhere, have formed the backbone of the humanitarian response over the past three years. It has also supported the communities hosting them in turn. Respecting and recognising their courage and capacities means ensuring they are not forgotten as the crisis enters a fourth year," the press statement reads.