UNGA High-Level Side Event

“Rohingya Crisis: Imperatives for a Sustainable Solution”

22 September 2021, 1500 Hours

Statement by Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti

Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations

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Excellency,

I thank you for convening this meeting focused on the Rohingya crisis. I would like to convey greetings to Her Excellency the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and His Excellency the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh.

As the only country that shares a long border with both Bangladesh and Myanmar, India has one of the highest stakes in resolving the issue of repatriation of displaced persons from the Rakhine State of Myanmar. India has consistently called for a practical and pragmatic solution to the issue.

Towards this end, our support has been consistent for the people on the ground at both Cox’s Bazar and in the Rakhine State. We have continued to contribute aid to persons displaced from the Rakhine State in Myanmar to Bangladesh and have formalized an arrangement with Myanmar to undertake humanitarian and developmental work under the Rakhine State Development Programme to help create conditions conducive for their sustainable, safe and early return.

We commend the Government of Bangladesh for hosting a million displaced persons in its territory.  It is important for us to recognize and understand the humanitarian burden that Bangladesh continues to bear and support the efforts it has undertaken to ensure the well-being of the displaced persons. It is indeed a matter of concern that the international community has been unable to help resolve this issue in an expeditious and sustainable manner. A collaborative and consensus-based approach is key to arriving at a meaningful outcome. We must work to address the challenges that the concerned stakeholders continue to face so that this humanitarian issue gets resolved in a constructive and lasting manner. We therefore urge the international community to come forward to further support, financially and otherwise, the efforts of the Government of Bangladesh and provide assistance in addressing issues related to the safety of the displaced persons, especially the most vulnerable among them, concerns of the local host communities, as well as the risk of radicalization in the camps and other security challenges. This should also include making provisions for skill development, education and adequate medical support.

We hope that the recent developments in Myanmar do not impede the progress made so far and call upon constructive engagement on this issue at the earliest. India will continue to support both Bangladesh and Myanmar in this regard.

I thank you.

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